The Witch and the Warlock
by CrystalEarth
Summary: Machiavelli paused for a moment and then walked up to Lily and kissed her passionately...and Lily showed him how to really live. i feel there should be a fanfic for Machiavelli, MachiavelliXOC rating may change
1. You Need to Live

Disclaimer: i WISH i was **cool** enough to own the series, as it is i only own Lily

okay note now, i probablly left out some details, for those of you who have read the series, you get it, those of you who haven't, i appologise for being thoughtless :(

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Chapter 1: You Need to Live

Lily Johnson was a young American girl, who, if she had known how upside down her life would become from saving that woman's life, she never… well that wasn't true, she still would have done it.

Lily stared at the woman and raised an eyebrow "Your Juno?"

The goddess of familys nodded. Lily nodded herself "oookay… I think I'll be going now"

She turned to leave. "Wait!" the woman called out "a debt must be repaid, I can make you immortal if you wish"

Lily stopped and turned raising her eyebrows "what was that?"

Juno smiled "I can make you immortal, and awaken the powers you have within you, I can tell you have a powerful aura"

Lily laughed thinking it was a joke "well all right then! Go right ahead!"

Unfortunately, Juno did, Lily was never the same after that, she was forced to fake her own death, with Juno's help she was able to get a home in Greece and did a few missions for Juno, she never really complained, she was away from her not so happy home and was living a new life entirely, she had been immortal for 2 years when Juno asked her to go work with Niccolò Machiavelli, she didn't complain, she had been sent to do missions with other immortals before, (Billy the Kid and her had some good laughs) but she could tell that Machiavelli was not happy.

"But master! I'm sure I can handle this mission on my own!" she heard him saying in his office when she stopped by to introduce herself. She knew the young man who was standing with her could not hear him.

With her awakened senses she could hear Machiavelli's Elder's response: "I don't want any protests from you Niccolò, you are going to let her join you on this! Juno has backed me for long enough, she wants this girl to get some real experience, I offered for you two to work together on this mission, do not fail me!"

Machiavelli hesitated and then whispered "yes master."

The young man, who was Machiavelli's secretary, knocked on the door "Monsieur Machiavelli? Mademoiselle Johnson is here to see you"

Machiavelli growled "send her in!" Lily walked into the room and Machiavelli's secretary closed the door behind her.

Machiavelli stared at the girl standing in front of his doorway and swallowed hard, she was beautiful, Machiavelli had not been expecting that. The girl, Lily, looked about 18 years old, with black hair that went past her shoulders in curls, her eyes were a bright vivid blue, she was wearing a very stunning red silk dress that hugged her curves well.

She was stunningly beautiful. Machiavelli took a deep breath and whispered "Welcome to Paris" in English; he must have been told that she only knew some French.

Lily nodded "I'm looking forward to this, Mister Machiavelli" she murmured politely, though it was clear she was not.

Their mission was simple enough, Lily thought, their mission was to gather allies in Russia, and Spain.

Lily was sitting on her balcony having a cigarette the night before she and Machiavelli would leave for Spain, when she heard him come into the room, he had been checking up on things in France. Machiavelli had come out onto the balcony and quickly snatched Lily's cigarette away and put it out in the ash tray "those are bad for you" he stated flatly.

Lily rolled her eyes and pulled out another cigarette and lit it, Machiavelli reached for that cigarette as well and Lily walked out of his reach unfortunately for her, Machiavelli followed her and when he had her pinned up against the railing he snatched the cigarette from her again and put it out quickly. Lily was blushing from the position they were in, Machiavelli stated to her "cigarettes are bad for you, your immortal but you're not invulnerable." Lily glared up at him and stuck her tongue out at him, she was not expecting for him to gently grab her tongue with his teeth and pull it into his mouth.

Machiavelli was surprised by his own boldness to kiss Lily, just as she started to kiss him back he pulled away and murmured "I'm sorry" he turned and walked into the room to get ready for bed, Lily bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut at his rejection, she pulled out a new cigarette and smoked it, it helped her calm down.

Machiavelli watched the young girl and sighed, he had not been intending to kiss her, he had made a vow to his wife after her funeral to never remarry, and yet here he was kissing a young woman who was **much** younger than him, Lily walked into the room and crawled into her own hotel bed and fell asleep, Machiavelli got up from his bed and walked over to the sleeping girl and stroked her hair once, Lily was quiet, when she had something to say she said it, but otherwise she was just quiet. It was one of the many things Machiavelli had noticed about her, he also noticed that she mixed Hawaiian punch with sprite, she was a new immortal so Machiavelli wasn't too surprised by the fact that she still ate, and ate well, she was thin, but a healthy thin, she ate reasonably well and.. Machiavelli sighed "Niccolò what have you gotten yourself into?" he murmured.

What Machiavelli didn't know was that Lily had woken up and heard that, the whole plane ride to Spain, Lily gave him small little touches and even placed her hand on his thigh. Machiavelli knew that she was giving him seductive little hints, but he ignored them, after about an hour, Lily stopped.

In the new hotel in Spain, Lily requested separate rooms, Machiavelli was surprised by this but didn't protest, he followed her and when they were alone he asked her why she wanted a different room, there were too beds in the room that was now his, she didn't respond, she simply went to her own room and unpacked, when Machiavelli came into her room later that night he saw her smoking a cigarette and walked up to her and pulled it away from her and put it out.

Lily pulled out her box of them but Machiavelli snatched the box and pinned Lily again "Will you stop acting like a child and tell me what's going on?"

Lily looked away, and then pushed him off her "goodnight mister Machiavelli" she whispered.

The next two days were spent the same way, Machiavelli trying to get Lily to talk to him, and Lily pretending like he wasn't there or not answering his questions, on the third day Machiavelli pinned Lily and made her look into his eyes "Lily, will you please tell me what's bothering you?" he murmured. Lily looked away and finally whispered "you are Niccolò" Machiavelli eyes widened, Lily had never called him by his first name before.

Machiavelli made her look into his eyes again and whispered "What do you mean?"

Lily bit a trembling lip and whimpered "your sending me mixed signals Niccolò, one minute your kissing me, then you pretend I don't exist, you ignore my advances and then when I get a different room you demand to know why!" tears were trailing down her cheeks as she spoke.

Machiavelli sighed and bit his lip "Lily... I promised my wife I would never remarry-"

"I'm not looking for Marriage Niccolò!" she whimpered "and that's a dumb promise to make! Wouldn't she want you to be happy?"

Machiavelli paused for a moment and then walked up to Lily and kissed her passionately.

Lilly lead him to her bed and kissed him softly and lovingly, and as they rolled on the bed together, Lily showed him how to really **live**.

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Juno is the Roman goddess of Familys and Marriage, and yes she is just using Lily, thats the only reason she offered her immortality, because of the fact that she has a strong Aura


	2. A Year Later

A.N. alright here is chapter 2 of the witch and the mage, just to let you know, this story is about Lily and Machiavelli, not the rest of the characters, the rest of the charachters do the same things they do in the books. hope you like the chapter :D

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Chapter 2: a year later

The charity auction hadn't started until well after midnight, now, at almost four in the morning Lily was exhausted. She and Machiavelli were standing in the back, Lily was standing next to Machiavelli and resting her head on his shoulder, Machiavelli had an arm wrapped around her and was stroking her arm with his thumb, then the lot that Machiavelli had been waiting came up, a pair of early nineteenth century Japanese Kabuki masks. Lily smiled knowing that Machiavelli had been waiting to get the masks for a long time.

After three minutes of bidding the price had been brought up to two hundred and fifty thousand euro, both Lily and Machiavelli knew the masks would be his, then Lily's eyes widened as she saw one of Machiavelli's rare smiles fade slightly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his ultra slim phone, a sword gently pulsed on the large LCD screen. Lily sighed knowing who he was "paging Dr Dee." She muttered tiredly.

Both Lily and Machiavelli turned and walked out of the small hotel, Lily held Machiavelli's hand and listened in on his conversation "I'm here" Machiavelli said in Italian.

"I need your help" the English magician replied in the same language.

"What can I do for you?" Machiavelli asked cautiously, usually when he said that Lily elbowed him in the side because it meant he wanted to keep her out of it, but this was one of the rare occasions where Lily didn't protest to his choice of words.

"Flamel is back in Paris" Dee said, Lily's eyes widened, she had heard of the Alchemist but had never met him.

"When?" Machiavelli asked, squeezing Lily's hand slightly.

"Just now. He got there through a leygate, I've no idea where it comes out, he's got Scathach with him, Machiavelli grimaced while Lily flinched. The last time Machiavelli had encountered the Warrior she'd pushed him through a door that had been closed at the time, he had spent weeks picking splinters out of his chest and shoulders, hadn't been able to sit down for a week.

When Lily had come face to face with the Shadow they had gotten into a fight, Lily had eventually had to run away. But not without many scars and cuts, Machiavelli hadn't let her to walk for a week, once she got back to Paris because of a particularly gruesome gash on her leg.

"There are two humani children with him. Americans," Dee said "Twins"

Lily's eyes widened again "Say again?" Machiavelli asked.

"Twins," Dee snapped "with pure gold and silver auras, you know what that means."

"Yes" Machiavelli muttered. It meant trouble. Then the tiniest of smiles curled his thin lips, it could also mean opportunity.

Dee continued "the girls powers were awakened in by Hekate before the Goddess and her Shadowrealm were destroyed"

Lily smiled "untrained the girl is no threat, except perhaps to herself and those around her"

Dee didn't even pause at Lily's voice, he would have started to wonder what had happened to her if he **hadn't** heard her voice. "Flamel took the girl to Ojai. There, the Witch of Endor instructed her in the Magic of Air."

"No doubt you tried to stop them?" Machiavelli asked amusement in his voice, Lily snickered

"Tried. And failed," Dee admitted bitterly "the girl has some knowledge but is without skill."

"What do you want us to do?" Machiavelli asked carefully, although he already had a very good idea.

"Find Flamel and the twins, capture them. Kill Scathach if you can. I'm just leaving Ojai, but its going to take fourteen or fifteen hours to get to Paris."

"What happened to the leygate?" Lily asked.

"Destroyed by the Witch of Endor, she nearly killed me too! I was lucky to escape with a few cuts and scratches" he then ended the call without saying goodbye.

Lily watched Machiavelli tap his phone to his lip and stayed silent. She and Machiavelli had been together for only a year but she had become familiar and accustomed to his habits. Machiavelli squeezed Lily's hand and walked her to the car where Machiavelli's driver waited patiently.

As they began to drive Lily watched as Machiavelli tapped coordinates into his laptop and watching as a high def. map of Paris appeared on it. Machiavelli then hit a keystroke and a map of leylines was laid over the map, she waited for a moment and then smiled when she heard him say "Notre Dame, or the Sacré-Coeur basilica."

Lily smiled when they heard alarms "they're at the basilica" she whispered, knowing for sure which direction the sounds were coming from."

Machiavelli told his driver to go to the basilica and then turned to Lily holding out his hand to her "mind helping me distract Flamel and the Warrior maid?"

Lily grinned and took his hand in her own, lending him her aura and her skills.


	3. Good in You?

alright Chapter 3 is up at last! i am sorry this has taken so long, i was anxious about the 5th book coming out! :D i read it all in one night! any way hopefully the only other time we will have an incident like this is when the 6th book comes out, oh by the way, something that i am going to tell you right now, i have a twist coming up latter that is similar to a twist in book five, i SWEAR TO GOD! i had this idea before i read that twist, also, possible spoilers for book five later on, will try not to until every one should have read through book five! but i am going to change the title of the book so people don't think i'm talking about Abraham the mage :D it will fit in with book five so i will wait a while before changing the name. and i'll tell you what i'm changing it to i promise

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Chapter 3: Good in you?

As soon as they got to the basilica Lily saw French police all around it, Lily took Machiavelli's hand and they began to walk up the steps when the quartet came out. Lily smiled when she heard the boy twin say to Scathach "let me guess, that must be Niccolò Machiavelli"

The Warrior Maid nodded "the most dangerous immortal in Europe" Nicholas Flamel said grimly "trust me, this man make's Dee look like an amateur."

"Who's the girl with him?" the girl twin asked curiously.

Scathach and Flamel's eyes rested on Lily, Flamel looked confused "I don't know who she is, I've never seen her before."

"but I have" Scathach hissed "Her name is Lily Johnson, she's very tricky and very clever, she might not be as good as Machiavelli, but she could give him a run for his money, she had a pure amethyst aura and she's one of the youngest immortals, if not **the **youngest, I met her about 6 months ago, she gave me a good fight, she's Juno's pet, Nicholas, with her and Machiavelli **together** we might be in trouble"

"Welcome back to Paris alchemist" Machiavelli said. Lily felt slightly sorry for the twins as she saw them jump in fright and turn to look behind them "we've been waiting for you"

Lily saw Scathach draw the twins away from Flamel. "I cannot say I am pleased to see you Signor Machiavelli, or is it Monsieur Machiavelli in this age?" Flamel asked quietly leaning against the balustrade, looking down to Machiavelli and Lily.

"In this century, I am French" Machiavelli stated as he continued up the stairs he continued to talk about how he loved Paris.

When he was finished Flamel asked Lily "and is it Miss Johnson, or Mademoiselle Johnson?"

Lily smiled and said "Miss Johnson, if you want to be formal, I'm still very much an American, but most people call me Lily"

Machiavelli took a deep breath "my people have the entire area surrounded" he said as he and Lily walked closer to the alchemist "I have you now Nicholas Flamel."

"I believe the last time you made that statement you were just about to break into my tomb."

Machiavelli stopped in Shock and Lily looked worried, she'd never seen Niccolò shocked before. She looked back and forth between Niccolò and Flamel.

"How do you know that?" Machiavelli asked.

"Perry and I were right there behind you standing in the shadows, close enough to touch you when you lifted the top off out tomb, I knew someone would come, I just never imagined it would be you. I'll admit I was disappointed Niccolò."

Machiavelli and Lily continued up the steps "you always thought I was a better person than I was Nicholas" Machiavelli stated dismissively.

"I believe there is good in everyone" Flamel whispered "even you"

"Not me alchemist, not anymore, and not for a very long time."

Flamel turned to Lily which made her stop for a second "and what about you Lily?" he asked softly "is there still good in you?"

Lily hesitated before shrugging "maybe there is and maybe there isn't, either way, I don't really care" she whispered.

Machiavelli motioned to the police cars "come now, surrender, no harm will come to you"

"I can not tell you how many people have said that to me" Nicholas said sadly "and they were always lying"

Lily saw Machiavelli's face harden "you can deal with us, or you can deal with Dee, and you know the English Magician never had any patience"

"There is one other option" Flamel said with a shrug his thin lips curled into a smile "I could deal with none of you" he half turned, and when he looked back at Machiavelli and Lily the Expression on the alchemist's face made the two immortals take a step back in shock for an instant, something ancient and implacable shone through Flamel's pale eyes which flickered a bright emerald green. Flamel's voice dropped to a whisper "it would be better if the two of you and I were never to meet again"

Machiavelli attempted a laugh but it came out sounding shaky "that sounds like a threat, and believe me, you are in no position to be making threats"

"Not a threat," Flamel said stepping back from the steps, "a promise."

And in that moment, as a vanilla scented fog flowed down the steps Lily knew that Flamel, the Twins and Scathach, were going to escape, but why then did she feel relieved?

"_And what about you Lily? Is there still good in you?"_

"_maybe there is and maybe there isn't, either way, I don't really care"_

Now she knew the answer to Flamel's question, _**yes**_ there was still good in her.

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okay there's something i hope you all saw coming, anyway please leave your comments and reviews, and tell me what you think!


	4. The Scent of Vanilla

okay, because i am so late in updating, i am doing two chapters, i am so so so sorry that i've taken this long to update, i'm staying with my godmother and godfather in massachusets, and it's been a little hectic what with my boyfriend going back to school and my godmother catching a bug and... other things, anyway-

Disclaimer: i only own Lily

oh and i'm going to change the name of the story to The Witch and the Warlock on the 14th of August, if you've read the warlock, you should understand the title change.

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Chapter 4: the Scent of Vanilla

Lily watched Machiavelli as he looked in the church for Flamel, the Warrior, and the twins, she knew he was already keeping a tight grip on his temper but she had to say it "they escaped Niccolò, your not going to find them in the Basilica."

She could hear his snarl perfectly and sighed "just telling you what you already know." Niccolò came back down the stairs and took a deep breath, Lily knew he was saving the sent in his memory, the odor of vanilla that scented the fog, the sent of one of the twins of legend.

"I want the entire area sealed off," Machiavelli snapped to the semicircle of high-ranking police who had gathered at the bottom of the steps in the Square Willette. "Cordon off every street, alleyway and lane from the Rue Custine to the Rue Caulaincourt, from the Boulevard de Clichy to the Boulevard de Rochechouart and the Rue de Clignancourt. I want these people found!"

"You are suggesting closing down Montmartre," a deeply tanned police officer said in the silence that followed. He looked to his colleagues for support, but none of them would meet his eye. "It's the height of the tourist season," he protested, turning back to Machiavelli.

Lily groaned as Machiavelli rounded on the captain, his face as impassive as the masks he collected. His cold gray eyes bored into the man, but when he spoke his voice was even and controlled, barely above a whisper. "You know who I am?" he asked mildly.

The captain, a decorated veteran of the French Foreign Legion, felt something cold and sour at the back of his throat as he looked into the man's stony eyes. Licking suddenly dry lips, he said, "You are Monsieur Machiavelli, the new head of the Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure. But this is a police matter, sir, not an external security matter. You have no authority—"

"I am making this a DGSE matter," Machiavelli interrupted softly. "My powers come directly from the president. I will shut down this entire city if necessary. I want these people found. Tonight, a catastrophe was averted." He waved his hand vaguely in the direction of Sacré-Coeur, now beginning to appear out of the thinning mist. "Who knows what other terrors they have planned? I want a progress report on the hour, every hour," he finished, and without waiting for a response turned and marched over to his car, where his dark-suited driver waited, arms folded across his massive chest. Lily smirked at the officers and said "good luck boys" before she followed Machiavelli

The driver, face half hidden behind wraparound mirrored sunglasses, opened the door and then closed it gently behind Lily. Lily looked at Machiavelli "way to not look suspicus,"

Machiavelli rolled his eyes "they will not care, they will do what I told them to do"

"I know they will Niccolò, but I think the press will be very interested to know not only that your shutting down Montmartre, but that you brought your super model girlfriend to the basilica to apprehend fugitives"

Machiavelli sighed "they will naturally assume that I wanted to waste no time in getting to the basilica and there was no time to drop you off, they will forget all about it"

Lily sighed "if you say so Niccolò."

Niccolò rolled the sheet of privacy glass that separated the driver's section from the back of the car down and spoke to the driver "Flamel is in Paris. Where would he go?"

Lily shook her head and listened to the exchange between Dagon and Machiavelli. With halfhearted interest, until she saw Machiavelli pull out his laptop, she knew about his secret list of immortal humans and elders, where they lived and who they were allied with. "I have no record of any known immortal associates"

Lily nodded "that makes sense; they probably haven't talked to immortal humans for most of their long lives"

Machiavelli nodded and smiled "but look what we have here" he turned the screen of his laptop so Lily and Dagon could see the picture of the man obviously posing for a publicity shot.

Lily smirked. "I do not know this man" Dagon said bubbly.

"Oh but I do, I know him very well, this is the immortal human once known as the Comte de Saint-Germain. He was a magician, an inventor, a musician, and an alchemist."

"And a student of Nicholas Flamel" Lily said softly.

"And he's currently living in Paris" Machiavelli stated triumphantly.

"Does Flamel know that Saint-Germain is in Paris?" Dagon asked.

"No one knows the extent of Flamel's knowledge" Machiavelli said.

"and I thought you knew everything" Dagon said. Lily snickered behind her hand.


	5. Desperate

just as i promised, Chapter five, and its a long chapter.

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Chapter 5: Desperate

"Escaped!" Dr. John Dee snarled. "You had them surrounded. How could you let them escape?"

Niccolò Machiavelli remained calm and controlled, only the tightening of his jaw muscles revealing his anger. "You are remarkably well informed."

"I have my sources," Dee snapped

"You had them trapped in Ojai, I understand," Machiavelli continued softly, "surrounded by an army of the risen dead. And yet they escaped. How could you let them do that?" Lily sighed and after a short pause she asked "Where are you now?" loudly enough that Dee would be able to hear her through the cell phone.

"Somewhere on the 101, heading down to L.A. My jet is fueled and ready to go, and we're cleared for takeoff as soon as I arrive."

"I would anticipate having them in custody before you land in Paris," Machiavelli said. He paused before adding, "I believe they will attempt to contact Saint-Germain."

"The Comte de Saint-Germain? He's back in Paris? I heard he had died in India looking for the lost city of Ophir." Dee said.

"Obviously not. He has an apartment off the Champs-Elysées and two homes in the suburbs that we are aware of. They are all under observation. If Flamel contacts him, we'll know." Lily stated

"Don't let them escape this time," Dee barked. "Our masters would not be pleased." He snapped the phone shut before Machiavelli could respond.

"He can be so childish," Machiavelli muttered in Italian. "Always has to have the last word."

Lily smirked as she leaned against the wall "it's Dee, what do you expect?"

They were standing in the ruins of the coffee shop that the twins, the warrior, and Flamel had been in. Machiavelli bent down to pick up a fork, it was bent into a perfect S shape. Eventually Machiavelli walked over to Lily and they both went to the Car, Lily got in but looked at Machiavelli with confusion when he said to Dagon "find the Disir"

"Is that wise?" Dagon asked.

"It is necessary" Machiavelli said calmly.

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When Lily and Machiavelli reached the Eifel Tower Dagon got out and opened the door for Niccolò, when he got out he held out his hand for Lily, she took it and stepped gracefully out of the car, her eyes rested on the twins, whom she could see clearly even over 100 yards. Even when the fireworks exploded around the tower and Flamel split from the rest of the group, her eyes never left the two blond teens.

* * *

"They're in Saint-Germain's town house off the Champs-Elysées." Machiavelli pressed the phone to his ear and leaned back in the black leather chair, swiveling to look through the tall window. In the distance, across the slanted tile rooftops, he could make out the tip of the Eiffel Tower. The fireworks had finally stopped, but a pall of rainbow-colored clouds still hung in the air. "Don't worry, Doctor, we have the house under observation. Saint-Germain, Scathach and the twins are inside. There are no other occupants."

Machiavelli held the phone away from his ear as static rippled and crackled. Dee's jet was just taking off from a small private airfield north of L.A. It would stop in New York to refuel, then fly transatlantic to Shannon in Ireland and refuel again before continuing on to Paris. The crackling faded and Dee's voice, strong and clear, came through the phone.

"And the Alchemyst?"

"Lost in Paris. My men had him on the ground at gunpoint-"

"Until he some how managed to coat them in sugar and unleashed every ant in the city on them!" Lily snickered, she was now changed in a simple t-shirt and jeans and she wore a locket around her neck .

"Transmutation," Dee remarked. "Water is composed of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen: sucrose has the same ratio. He changed the water into sugar; it's a parlor trick—I would have expected more of him."

Machiavelli ran his hand across his short snow white hair. "I though it was rather clever myself," he said mildly. "He hospitalized six police officers."

"Clever? It was brilliant!" Lily giggled "it's awful for the police officers but none of them are dead and its funny!"

"He will return to the twins," Dee snapped. "He needs them. He's been waiting all his life to find them."

"We've all been waiting," Machiavelli reminded the Magician quietly. Noting that Lily stopped giggling when Dee mentioned the twins. "And right now, we know where they are, which means we know where Flamel will go."

"Do nothing until I get there," Dee commanded.

"And have you any idea when that might—" Machiavelli began, but the line was dead.

"he hung up?" Lily asked

Machiavelli glared at the phone "so rude!"

Lily smiled slightly but it didn't reach her eyes. Machiavelli's cell phone buzzed and a second later Lily felt her own cell phone vibrate in her pocket.

Lily went out of the room to answer it, one look at the number and she could guess who it was, she hit the answer button and said "hello Juno"

"Dee believes you and Machiavelli will try to capture Flamel and the twins, wait until Dee gets to Paris before doing anything" Juno then hung up.

Lily closed her phone, Juno rarely hung up on her, when she did, it was usually because Juno was angry, Juno usually favored Lily and talked to her often, Juno being so angry that she didn't even bother to say hello, was very out of character for her, Lily could guess why, so Dee's master had contacted Juno and told her to tell Lily to back off, Lily had no doubt that Machiavelli's master was who had called Machiavelli and Machiavelli would have gotten the same orders, so who was Dee's master?

Lily walked back into Machiavelli's office and watched him think for a few minutes before he called Dagon into the room

Lily listened to Machiavelli and Dagon talk about the observers on the house, when they talked about Flamel and Scathach beating heavily trained officers she wanted to scoff, of course Flamel and the Shadow had won. Machiavelli turned to Lily waiting for her to speak

"Humans are no match against them, Flamel is an immortal alchemist and Scathach is next generation, to fight them you need someone who can match them." Lily stated bluntly.

"Or an army" Dagon said.

"Perhaps not. Remember, 'Cunning and deceit will every time serve a man better than force,' " he quoted.

"Who said that?" Dagon asked.

"He did" Lily answered before Machiavelli could open his mouth.

"You've read 'The Prince'?" Machiavelli asked surprised.

Lily snorted "heck no! you just sound to arrogant not to be talking about yourself!" she stated simply.

Machiavelli sighed and said to Dagon "Did you send for the Disir?"

"They're on their way." Dagon's voice turned sticky. "I don't trust them."

"No one trusts the Disir." There was no humor in Machiavelli's smile. "Did you ever hear the story of how Hekate trapped Scathach in that Underworld?"

Dagon remained unmoving.

"Hekate used the Disir. Their feud with the Shadow goes back to the time just after the sinking of Danu Talis." Putting his hands on the creature's shoulders, Machiavelli stepped close to Dagon, taking care to breathe through his mouth. Dagon exuded a fishy odor; it coated his pale skin like oily, rancid sweat. "I know you hate the Shadow, and I have never asked you why, though I have my suspicions. It is obvious that she has caused you much pain. However, I want you to put aside your feelings; hate is the most useless of all emotions. Success is the best revenge. I need you focused and by my side. We are close now, so close to victory, close to returning the Elder Race to this world. Leave Scathach to the Disir. But if they fail, then she is yours. I promise you."

Dagon opened his mouth to reveal the circle of needle-pointed teeth. "They will not fail. The Disir intend to bring Nidhogg."

Niccolò Machiavelli blinked in surprise. "Nidhogg … it's free? How?"

"The World Tree was destroyed."

"If they loose Nidhogg on Scathach, then you are right. They will not fail. They cannot."

Dagon reached up and pulled off his sunglasses. His huge bulbous fish eyes were wide and staring. "And if they lose control of Nidhogg, it could devour the entire city."

Machiavelli took a moment to consider. Then he nodded. "It would be a small price to pay to destroy the Shadow."

"You sound just like Dee!" Lily said sharply.

"I am nothing like the English Magician, and you should know that better than anyone Lily!" Machiavelli said feelingly. "Dee is a dangerous fanatic."

"And you're not?" Dagon asked.

"I'm only dangerous."

After Dagon left Lily sighed and asked "who are the Disir?"

Machiavelli smiled "the Disir are the Valkyries, the choosers of the Dead." Lily gulped, she now fully understood why Dagon was worried, Paris might become a battle ground, Machiavelli was becoming desperate, and men do stupid things when they are desperate.


	6. The Disir

Chapter 6 everyone! i don't know if people really like this story or if they feel it could be improved so please tell me what you think!

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Chapter 6: The Disir

Dagon threw open the tall double doors and stepped back. Niccolò Machiavelli and Dr. John Dee strode into the ornate book-filled library to greet their visitors.

Lily was in the room with three young women, Lily was reading a book and really only looked up when Dee and Machiavelli came in, Lily smiled and said "welcome to Paris Dee."

At first glance the three girls were so alike that they could have been triplets. Tall and thin, with shoulder-length blond hair, they were dressed alike in black tanks under soft leather jackets and blue jeans tucked into knee-high boots. Their faces were all angles: sharp cheekbones, deeply sunken eyes, pointed chins. Only their eyes helped distinguish them. They were different shades of blue, from the palest sapphire to deep, almost purple indigo. All three looked as if they might have been sixteen or seventeen, but in actuality, they were older than most civilizations.

They were the Disir.

Machiavelli stepped into the center of the room and turned to look at each of the girls in turn, trying to tell them apart. One was sitting at the grand piano, another was lounging on the sofa, while a third leaned against a window, staring out into the night, an unopened leather-bound book in her hands. As he got closer to them, their heads pivoted, and he noticed that their eye colors matched their nail polish. "Thank you for coming," he said, speaking Latin, which, along with Greek, was the one language most of the Elders were familiar with.

The girls looked at him blankly.

Machiavelli glanced at Dagon, who had stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He pulled off his glasses, revealing his bulbous eyes, and spoke quickly in a language no human throat or tongue could shape.

The women ignored him.

Dr. John Dee sighed dramatically. He dropped into a high-backed leather armchair and clapped his small hands together with a sharp crack. "Enough of this nonsense," he said in English. "You're here for Scathach. Now, do you want her or not?"

The girl sitting at the piano stared at the Magician. If he noticed that her head was now twisted at an impossible angle, he didn't react. "Where is she?" Her English was perfect.

"Close by," Machiavelli said, moving slowly around the room.

The three girls directed their attention to him, heads turning to track him, like owls following a mouse.

"What is she doing?"

"She is protecting the Alchemyst Flamel, Saint-Germain and two humani," Machiavelli said. "We only want the humani and Flamel. Scathach is yours." He paused and then added, "You can have Saint-Germain, too, if you want him. He's no use to us."

"The Shadow. We just want the Shadow," the woman sitting at the piano said. Her indigo-tipped fingers moved across the keys, the sound delicate and beautiful.

Machiavelli crossed to a side table and poured coffee from a tall silver pot. He looked at Dee and raised his eyebrows and the pot at the same time. The Magician shook his head. "You should know that Scathach is still powerful," Machiavelli continued, speaking now to the woman seated at the piano. The pupils of her indigo eyes were narrow and horizontal. "She knocked out a unit of highly trained police officers yesterday morning." He then looked at Lily and pulled out a bottle of Hawaiian punch, that was diluted with Sprite, Lily nodded and Machiavelli tossed her the bottle which she caught with ease.

"Humani," the Disir almost spat. "No humani can stand against the Shadow."

"But we are not humani," the woman standing at the window said.

"We are the Disir," finished the woman sitting across from Dee. "We are the Shieldmaidens, the Choosers of the Dead, the Warriors of—"

"Yes, yes, yes," Dee said impatiently. "We know who you are: Valkyries. Probably the greatest warriors the world has ever seen—according to yourselves, anyway. We want to know if you can defeat the Shadow."

The Disir with indigo eyes swiveled her body away from the piano and flowed smoothly to her feet. She stalked across the carpet to stand before Dee. Her two sisters were suddenly by her side, and the temperature in the room abruptly plummeted.

"It would be a mistake to mock us, Dr. Dee," one said.

Dee sighed. "Can you defeat the Shadow?" he asked again. "Because if you cannot, then I'm sure that there are others who would be only too delighted to try." He held up his cell phone. "I can call upon Amazons, Samurai and Bogatyrs."

The temperature in the room continued to fall as Dee spoke, and his breath plumed white in the air, ice crystals forming on his eyebrows and beard.

"Enough of this trickery!" Dee snapped his fingers and his aura flashed briefly yellow. The room grew warm, then hot, heavy with the stink of rotten eggs.

"There is no need for these lesser warriors. The Disir will slay the Shadow," the girl standing to Dee's right said.

"How?" Dee snapped.

"We have what those other warriors have not."

"You're talking in riddles," Dee said impatiently.

"Tell him," Machiavelli said.

The Disir with the palest eyes turned her head in his direction and then looked back at Dee. Long fingers flickered toward his face. "You destroyed the Yggdrasill and released our pet creature, which had been long trapped in the roots of the World Tree."

Something flickered behind Dee's eyes and a muscle twitched at the corner of his mouth. "Nidhogg?" He looked at Machiavelli. "You knew about this?"

Machiavelli nodded. "Of course."

The Disir with indigo eyes stepped up to Dee and looked down into his face. "Yes, you freed Nidhogg, the Devourer of Corpses." Still leaning toward Dee, she swiveled her head to look at Machiavelli. Her sisters also turned in his direction. "Take us to where the Shadow and the others are hiding, then leave us. Once we have loosed Nidhogg, Scathach is doomed."

"Can you control the creature?" Machiavelli asked curiously.

"Once it feeds off the Shadow, consumes first her memories and then her flesh and bones, it will need to sleep. After a feast like Scathach, it will probably sleep for a couple of centuries. We will recapture it then."

Lily sat forward worriedly "and what if it doesn't feed on the shadow right away? Will you be able to control it?"

The Disir looked at Lily in an expression that made it seem like Lily was an experiment to her, "it will feed on the Shadow immediately we have no doubt of this."

Lily frowned "your not answering my question, Can you control it!"

Machiavelli put a hand on Lily's shoulder and shook his head, silently telling her not to speak, Lily bit her lip but sighed in submission.

Niccolò Machiavelli nodded. "We didn't discuss your fee."

The three Disir smiled, and even Machiavelli, who had seen horrors, recoiled from the expressions on their faces. "There is no fee," the Disir with indigo eyes said. "This we will do to restore the honor of our clan and avenge our fallen family. Scathach the Shadow destroyed many of our sisters."

Machiavelli nodded. "I understand. When will you attack?"

"At dawn."

"Why not now?" Dee demanded.

"We are creatures of the twilight. In that no-time between night and day, we are at our strongest," one said.

"That is when we are invincible," her sister added.

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R&R please!


	7. Nidhogg

once again i own nothing except Lily, and her kick ass temper!

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Chapter 7: Nidhogg

Machiavelli was sitting in the back of his car alongside Dr. John Dee and Lily. Facing them were the three Disir. Dagon sat in the driver's seat, eyes invisible behind his wraparound glasses. The car smelled faintly of his sour fishy odor.

A cell phone buzzed, breaking the uncomfortable silence. Machiavelli flipped it open without looking at the screen. He closed it again almost immediately. "All clear. My men have pulled back and there is a security cordon in place around all the connecting streets. No one will accidentally wander into the area."

"Whatever happens, do not enter the house," the Disir with violet eyes said. "Once we free Nidhogg, we shall have very little control until it feeds."

John Dee leaned forward, and for a moment, it looked as if he was about to tap the young woman on the knee. The look on her face prevented him. "Flamel and the children must not be allowed to escape."

"That sounds like a threat, Doctor," the warrior sitting on the left said. "Or an order."

"And we do not like threats," her sister sitting to the right added. "And we don't take orders." Lily Snickered.

Dee blinked slowly. "It is neither a threat nor an order. Simply a … request," he said eventually.

"We are here only for Scathach," the warrior with violet eyes said. "The rest of them are not our concern."

Dagon climbed out of the car and opened the door. Without a backward glance, the

Valkyries stepped out into the first glimmers of predawn light, spread out and moved slowly down the back street. They looked like three young women coming home from an all-night party.

Dee shifted position, taking the seat facing Machiavelli. "If they succeed, I will ensure that our masters know that the Disir were your idea," he said pleasantly.

"I'm sure you will." Machiavelli didn't look at the English Magician and continued to follow the progress of the three girls as they walked down the street. "And if they fail, you can tell our masters that the Disir were my idea, and you can absolve yourself of any blame," he added. "Shifting the blame: I believe I originally came up with that concept about twenty years before you were born."

"I thought you said they were bringing Nidhogg?" Dee asked, ignoring him.

Niccolò Machiavelli tapped the window with his manicured fingernails. "They did."

As the Disir moved down the narrow, cobbled, high-walled alley, they changed.

The transformation occurred as they passed through a patch of shadow. They entered as young women, dressed in soft leather jackets, jeans and boots … and a moment later they were Valkyries: warrior maidens. Long coats of ice white chain mail fell to their knees, knee-high metal boots with spiked toes covered their feet, and they wore heavy leather-and-metal gauntlets on their hands. Rounded helmets protected their heads and masked their eyes and noses but left their mouths free. White leather belts around their waists held their sword and knife sheaths. The Valkyries each carried a wide-bladed sword in one hand, but each also had a second weapon strapped to her back: a spear, a double-headed axe and a war hammer.

They stopped before a rotting green gate set into the wall. One of the Valkyries turned to look back at the car and pointed a gloved hand at the gate.

Machiavelli hit a button and the window rolled down. He raised his thumb and nodded. Despite its decrepit appearance, it was the back gate to Saint-Germain's house.

Each of the Disir reached into a leather pouch that hung from her belt. Taking out a handful of flat stonelike objects, they tossed them at the base of the door.

"They're Casting the Runes," Machiavelli explained. "They're calling Nidhogg … the creature you released, a creature the Elders themselves locked away."

"I didn't know it was trapped by the World Tree," Dee muttered.

"I'm surprised. I thought you knew everything." Machiavelli shifted in the seat to look at Dee. In the gloomy half-light, he could see that the Magician was looking pale and there was the faintest sheen of sweat on his forehead. Centuries of controlling his emotions ensured that Machiavelli didn't smile. "Why did you destroy the Yggdrasill?" he asked.

"It was the source of Hekate's power," Dee said quietly, eyes fixed on the Valkyries, watching them intently. They had stepped back from the stones they'd dropped on the ground and were talking quietly amongst themselves, pointing out individual tiles.

"It was as old as this planet. And yet you destroyed it without a second thought. Why did you do that?" Machiavelli wondered aloud.

"I did what was necessary." Dee's words were ice. "I will always do whatever is necessary to bring the Elders back to this world."

"But you didn't consider the consequences," Niccolò Machiavelli said softly. "Every action has a consequence. The Yggdrasill you destroyed in Hekate's kingdom stretched into several other Shadowrealms. The topmost branches reached the Shadowrealm of Asgard, and the roots stretched deep into Niflheim, the World of Darkness." He saw Dee stiffen. "Not only did you release Nidhogg, but you also destroyed at least three Shadowrealms—maybe more—when you destroyed the World Tree."

"I didn't know …"

"You made a lot of enemies," Machiavelli continued smoothly, ignoring him, "dangerous enemies. I have heard that the Elder Hel escaped the destruction of her kingdom. I understand she is hunting you."

"She does not frighten me," Dee snapped, but there was a quaver in his voice.

"Oh, she should," Machiavelli murmured. "She terrifies me."

"My master will protect me," Dee said confidently.

"He must be a powerful Elder indeed to protect you from Hel; no one has stood against her and survived."

"My master is all-powerful," Dee snapped. Lily rolled her eyes

"I look forward to learning the identity of this mysterious Elder." Machiavelli said

"When all this is over, maybe I'll introduce you," Dee said. He nodded down the alleyway. "And that could be very soon."

The runestones hissed and sizzled on the ground.

They were irregular pieces of flat black stone, each etched with a series of angular lines, squares and slashes. Now the lines were glowing red, crimson smoke coiling into the still predawn air.

Lily gulped "Niccolò? I've got a bad feeling about this" she murmured.

One of the Disir used the tip of her sword to move three of the runestones together. A second nudged a stone out of the way with the steel toe of her boot and then dragged another into place. The third found a single runestone at the edge of the pile and eased it into position at the end of the string of letters with her sword.

"Nidhogg," the Disir whispered, calling the nightmare whose name they had spelled out in the ancient stones.

* * *

"Nidhogg," Machiavelli said very quietly. He looked over Dee's shoulder to where Dagon sat staring straight ahead, apparently disinterested in what was happening to his left. "I know what the legends say about it, but Dagon, what exactly is it?"

"My people called it the Devourer of Corpses," the driver said, voice sticky and bubbling. "It was already here before my race claimed the seas, and we were amongst the first to arrive on this planet."

Lily looked at Niccolò horrified "you allowed the Disir to come here with Nidhogg, and you didn't know what Nidhogg was?" she yelped

Dee quickly swiveled in the seat to look at the driver. "What are you?"

Dagon ignored the question and Lily's interuption. "Nidhogg was so dangerous that a council of the Elder Race created a terrible Shadowrealm, Niflheim, the World of Darkness, to contain it, and then they used the unbreakable roots of the Yggdrasill to wrap around the creature, chaining it for eternity."

Machiavelli kept his eyes fixed on the red-black smoke coiling from the runestones. He thought he saw the outline of a shape beginning to form. "Why didn't the Elders kill it?"

"Nidhogg was a weapon," Dagon said.

"What did the Elders need a weapon for?" Machiavelli wondered aloud. "Their powers were almost limitless. They had no enemies."

Although he sat with his hands resting lightly on the steering wheel, Dagon's shoulders shifted and his head turned almost completely around so that he was facing Dee and Machiavelli. "The Elders were not the first upon this earth," he said simply. "There were … others. " He pronounced the word slowly and carefully. "The Elders used Nidhogg and some of the other primordial creatures as weapons in the Great War to completely destroy them."

A stunned Machiavelli looked at Dee, who looked equally shocked by the revelation.

Dagon's mouth opened in what might have been a smile, revealing his tooth-filled maw. "You should probably know that the last time a group of Disir used Nidhogg, they lost control of the creature. It ate all of them. In the three days it took to recapture it and chain it in Yggdrasill's roots, it completely destroyed the Anasazi people in what is now New Mexico. It is said that Nidhogg feasted off ten thousand humani and still hungered for more."

"Can these Disir control it?" Dee demanded.

Dagon shrugged. "Thirteen of the finest Disir warriors couldn't control it in New Mexico …"

Lily's eyes widened and then narrowed on Machiavelli.

"Maybe we should—" Dee began.

Machiavelli suddenly stiffened. "Too late," he whispered. "It's here."

* * *

Niccolò Machiavelli had always been a careful man.

He had survived and even thrived in the dangerous and deadly Medici court in Florence in the fifteenth century, a time when intrigue was a way of life and violent death and assassination was commonplace. His most famous book, The Prince, was one of the first to suggest that the use of subterfuge, lies and deceit was perfectly acceptable for a ruler.

Machiavelli was a survivor because he was subtle, cautious, clever and, above all else: cunning.

So what had possessed him to call upon the Disir? The Valkyries had no word for subtle in their language and didn't know the meaning of the word caution. Their idea of clever and cunning was to bring Nidhogg—an uncontrollable primeval monster—into the heart of a modern city.

And he had allowed them.

Now the street echoed with the sounds of breaking glass, snapping wood and tumbling stone. Every car and house alarm in the district was blaring, and there were lights on in all the other houses lining the alleyway, though no one had ventured out yet.

"What is going on in there?" Machiavelli wondered aloud.

"Nidhogg is feasting off Scathach?" Dee suggested absently. His cell had started to buzz, distracting him.

"No, it's not!" Machiavelli suddenly shouted. He pushed open the car door, leapt out, grabbed Dee by the collar and dragged him out into the night. "Dagon! Lily! Out!"

Lily scrambled out of the car with Machiavelli and Dee.

Dee attempted to find his feet, but Machiavelli continued to drag him backward, away from the car. "Are you out of your mind?" the doctor shrieked.

There was a sudden explosion of glass as Dagon threw himself through the windshield. He slithered off the hood and landed alongside Machiavelli, Lily and Dee, but the Magician didn't even glance in his direction. He saw what had startled the Italian.

Nidhogg raced down the narrow alley toward them, standing tall on two powerful hind legs. A limp red-haired figure hung from its front claws.

"Back!" Machiavelli shouted, flinging himself to the ground, dragging Dee with him.

Nidhogg trampled over the long black German car. One hind paw landed directly in the center of the roof, crushing it to the pavement. Windows popped, spraying glass like shrapnel as the car buckled in the middle, the front and rear wheels lifting off the ground.

The creature disappeared into the night.

A heartbeat later, a white-clad Disir practically flew over the remains of the car, clearing it in a single leap, following the creature.

"Dagon?" Machiavelli whispered, rolling over. "Dagon, where are you?"

"I'm here." The driver came smoothly to his feet, brushing shards of sparkling glass from his black suit. He pulled off his cracked sunglasses and dropped them on the ground. Rainbow colors ran across round unblinking eyes. "It was holding Scathach," he said, loosening his black tie and popping open the top button of his white shirt.

"Lily?" Dee then called, "Lily are you alright?"

Lily snarled "bring the Disir, let them bring Nidhogg, don't bother to find out what Nidhogg really is and don't bother asking if the Disir can control the damn beast! Next time you pull a stunt like this Machiavelli, I swear to god I will slap you!"

Dee smirked "I'll take that as a yes your fine"

Lily stood up and wiped her pants and glared at Machiavelli.

"Is the Shadow dead?" Machiavelli asked gulping at Lily's glare.

"I'll not believe Scathach is dead until I see it for myself." Dagon stated.

"Agreed. Over the years there have been too many reports of her death. And then she turns up! We need a body."

Dee climbed out of a mud-filled puddle; he suspected Machiavelli might have deliberately pushed him into it. He shook water from his shoe. "If Nidhogg has her, then the Shadow is dead. We've succeeded."

Dagon's fish eye swiveled down to look into the Magician's face. "You blinkered, arrogant fool! Something in the house frightened away Nidhogg—that's why it's running, and it can't be the Shadow because it's got her. And remember, this is a creature beyond fear. Three Disir went into that building—and only one came out! Something terrible happened in there."

"Dagon is right: this is a disaster. We need to completely rethink our strategy." Machiavelli turned to his driver. "I promised you that if the Disir failed, then Scathach was yours."

Dagon nodded. "And you have always kept your word."

"You have been with me now for close to four hundred years. You have always been loyal, and I owe you both my life and liberty. I free you from my service," Machiavelli said formally. "Find the Shadow's body … and if she is still alive, then do whatever you must do. Go now—and be safe, old friend."

Dagon turned away. Then he stopped suddenly and looked back at Machiavelli. "What did you call me?"

Machiavelli smiled. "Old friend. Be careful," he said gently. "The Shadow is beyond dangerous, and she's killed too many of my friends."

Lily smiled at Dagon and pressed her fingers to her lips and then to Dagon's cheek "be well" she murmured.

Dagon nodded. He pulled off his shoes and socks to reveal three-toed webbed feet. "Nidhogg will head for the comfort of the river." Abruptly, Dagon's tooth-filled mouth opened in what might have been a smile. "And the water is my home." Then he ran into the night, bare feet slapping the sidewalk.

Machiavelli glanced back toward the house. Dagon was right; something had terrified Nidhogg. What had happened in there? And where were the other two Disir?

Footsteps clattered on pavement and suddenly Josh Newman raced out of the alleyway, the stone sword in his hand streaming wisps of gold fire. Glancing neither left nor right, he ran around the destroyed car and followed the telltale trail of car alarms set off by the monster's passing.

Machiavelli looked at Dee. "I take it that was the American boy?"

Dee nodded.

"Did you see what he was holding? It looked like a sword," he said slowly. "A stone sword? Surely not Excalibur?"

"Not Excalibur," Dee said shortly.

"It was definitely a gray stone blade."

"It wasn't Excalibur."

"How do you know?" Machiavelli demanded.

Lily rolled her eyes "my god do the two of you ever stop fucking fighting?"

Dee reached under his coat and pulled out a short stone sword, a match of the weapon Josh was carrying. The blade was trembling, vibrating almost imperceptibly. "Because I have Excalibur," Dee said. "The boy was holding its twin, Clarent. We always suspected Flamel had it."

Machiavelli closed his eyes and raised his face to the sky. "Clarent. No wonder Nidhogg fled from the house." He shook his head. Could this night get any worse?

Dee's cell buzzed again and both men jumped. The Magician almost snapped the phone in two opening it. "What?" he snarled. He listened for a moment, then closed the phone very gently, and when he spoke again, his voice was barely above a whisper. "Perenelle has escaped. She's free on Alcatraz."

Shaking his head, Machiavelli turned and walked down the alleyway, heading back toward the Champs-Elysées. His question was answered. The night had just gotten worse—much worse. Nicholas Flamel frightened Machiavelli, but Perenelle terrified him.

Lily cursed loudly and said to both men "if either of you suggests something completely idiotic in the next 24 hours, I will slap you upside the head and make you re-think it!" she ran her hand through her hair and cursed again.

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Please Review!


	8. Josh Newman

i only own Lily

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Chapter 8: Josh Newman.

"Sir, we have a report of an … incident." The ashen-faced police officer handed the phone to Niccolò Machiavelli. "The RAID officer asked to speak to you personally."

Dee caught the man by the arm and spun him around. "What is it?" he demanded in perfect French as Machiavelli listened intently to the call, one finger in his ear, trying to drown out the noise.

"I'm not sure, sir. A mistake, certainly." The police officer attempted a shaky laugh. "A few streets down, people are reporting that there is … a monster stuck in a house. Impossible, I know …" His voice trailed off as he turned to look toward what had once been a substantial three-story house that now had a gaping hole plowed through the side.

Machiavelli tossed the phone back to the police officer. "Get me a car."

"A car?"

"A car and a map," he snapped.

"Yes, sir. You can take mine." The police officer had been one of the first on the scene following dozens of calls from alarmed citizens. He'd spotted Machiavelli, Lily and Dee hurrying from the alley close to the source of the noise and had stopped them, convinced that they had something to do with what was being reported as an explosion. His bluster had turned to dismay when he'd discovered that the mud-spattered older man with white hair in the torn suit was actually the head of the DGSE.

The officer handed over his car key and a battered and torn Michelin map of Paris's city center. "I'm afraid this is all I have."

Machiavelli snatched it from his hand. "You're dismissed." He gestured toward the street. "Go and direct traffic; let no press or public near the house. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." The police officer raced away, thankful that he still had his job; no one wanted to upset one of the most powerful men in France.

Machiavelli spread the map across the hood of the car, while Lily got in the back seat and listened to the two men. "We're here," he explained to Dee. "Nidhogg is heading directly east, but at some stage, it's got to cross the Champs-Elysées and make for the river. If it continues on its present course, I've a reasonably good idea it will come out"—his finger stabbed the map—"close to here."

The two men climbed into the small car and Machiavelli looked around for a moment, trying to make sense of the controls. He couldn't remember the last time he'd driven a car; Dagon had always looked after that. Finally, with a grinding crunch of gears, he got the car moving and made an illegal turn that sent them fishtailing across the road, then roared down the Champs-Elysées, leaving rubber in their wake.

Dee sat silently in the passenger seat, one hand wrapped around the seat belt, the other braced against the dashboard. "Who taught you to drive?" he asked shakily as they bounced off the curb.

"Karl Benz," Machiavelli snapped. "A long time ago," he added.

"And how many wheels did that car have?"

"Three."

Lily squeaked and shut her eyes tight, fighting the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her.

Dee squeezed his eyes shut as they roared across an intersection, barely missing a lumbering road-sweeper truck. "So what do we do when we get to Nidhogg?" he asked, focusing on the problem, trying to keep his mind off Machiavelli's terrible driving.

"That's your problem," Machiavelli retorted. "After all, you're the one who freed it."

"But you invited the Disir here. So it's partially your fault."

Machiavelli hit the brakes hard, sending the car into a long screeching slide. The engine cut out and the car jerked to a halt.

"Why have we stopped?" Dee demanded.

Machiavelli pointed out the window. "Listen."

"I can't hear anything over the noise of the sirens."

"Listen," Machiavelli insisted. "Something's coming." He pointed to the left. "Over there."

Dee rolled down his window. Over the police, ambulance and fire sirens, they could hear stones grinding, bricks falling and the sharp snap-crackle of breaking glass …

* * *

"Now, that's something you don't see every day," Dee muttered.

The Magician, Lily and Machiavelli watched Nidhogg burst through a building on the left side of the Champs-Elysées, trample the trees that lined the street and career across the road. It still held red-haired Scatty in its claws, and the Disir was clinging to its back. The two immortals watched the huge swinging tail turn a set of traffic lights into a mangled ruin as the creature darted down another street.

"It's heading for the river," Machiavelli said.

"But what happened to the boy, I wonder?" Dee mused aloud.

"Maybe he got lost, or was trampled by Nidhogg." Machiavelli suggested

"Or maybe he's just fine and still chasing Nidhogg" Lily added as Josh Newman stepped through the uprooted trees and out into the broad road. He looked left and right, but there was no traffic, and he didn't even glance at the police car badly parked against the curb. He darted across the wide avenue, the sword in his hand streaming smoky gold threads behind him.

"The boy's a survivor," Dee said admiringly. "Brave, too."

Lily felt fear bubble in her "and a fool! He has no chance against Nidhogg, he's going to get himself killed!"

Machiavelli looked at Lily in surprise for a moment but said nothing about her outburst.

Seconds later, Dagon burst out of the side street, following Josh. He was carrying a war hammer. Spotting Lily, Dee and Machiavelli in the car, he raised his other hand in what might have been a greeting, or a farewell.

"Now what?" Dee demanded.

Machiavelli turned the key in the ignition and wrenched the car into first gear. It jerked forward, bouncing a little; then the engine howled as he put his foot to the floor. "The Rue de Marignan comes out onto the Avenue Montaigne. I think I can get there before Nidhogg does." He hit the sirens.

Dee nodded. "Perhaps you might think about changing gear." His lips moved in a barely discernable smile. "You'll find the car will go faster that way."

Lily whimpered when Dee said that "oh god!" she whimpered.

* * *

15 minutes later, Machiavelli slid the car to a stop, half on, half off the curb. He pulled up the brake but left the car in gear, and it jerked forward and cut out. They were in a parking lot on the banks of the river Seine, close to where he'd anticipated Nidhogg would appear. For a moment, the only sound was the engine ticking softly, and then Dee let out his breath in a long sigh. "You are the worst driver I've ever come across."

"I agree completely" Lily moaned clutching her stomach.

"I got us here, didn't I?"

"Barely!" Lily said flatly, she rested her head against the cool glass of the window, she hated cars, she always had since she was 16, Dagon hadn't been a bad driver and so she had been able to endure car rides when he was driving.

"You do know that explaining all this is going to be very difficult," Machiavelli stated, interrupting Lily's revelry, and moving off the subject of his terrible driving. He had mastered the most arcane and difficult arts, had manipulated society and politics for half a millennium, was fluent in a dozen languages, could program in five different computer languages and was one of the world's experts on quantum physics. And he still couldn't drive a car. It was embarrassing. Rolling down the driver's window, he allowed cold air to wash into the vehicle. "I can impose a press blackout, of course, claiming it's a national security issue, but this is getting too public and way too messy." He sighed. "Video of Nidhogg is probably on the Internet right now."

"People will dismiss it as a prank," Dee said confidently. "I thought we were in trouble when Bigfoot was caught on camera. But that was quickly rejected as a hoax. If I've learned anything over the years, it is that the humani are masters at ignoring what is right in front of their noses. They've disregarded our existence for centuries, dismissing the Elders and their times as little more than myth and legend, despite all the evidence. Besides," he added smugly, absently stroking his short beard, "everything is coming together. We have most of the book; once we get the two missing pages, we will bring back the Dark Elders and return this world to its proper state." He waved a hand airily. "You'll not have to worry about minor issues like the press."

"You seem to be forgetting that we have some other problems, like the Alchemyst and Perenelle. They are not so minor."

Dee pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and waved it in the air. "Oh, I've taken care of that. I made a call."

Machiavelli glanced sidelong at the Magician but said nothing. In his experience, people often spoke merely to fill a silence in a conversation, and he knew that Dee was a man who liked to hear the sound of his own voice.

John Dee stared through the dirty windshield toward the Seine. A couple of miles downriver, just around the bend, the huge Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris would be slowly taking shape in the early dawn light. "I first met Nicholas and Perenelle in this city almost five hundred years ago. I was their student—you didn't know that, did you? That's not in your legendary files. Oh, don't look so surprised," he said, laughing at Machiavelli's stunned expression. "I've known about your files for decades. And my copies are even more up-to-date," he added. "But yes, I studied with the legendary Alchemyst, here in this very city. I knew within a very short time that Perenelle was more powerful—more dangerous—than her husband. Have you ever met her?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes," Machiavelli said shakily. He was astounded that the Elders—or was it just Dee?—knew about his secret files. "Yes. I met her just the once. We fought; she won," he said shortly. "She made quite an impression."

"She is an extraordinary woman; quite remarkable. Even in her own time, her reputation was formidable. What she would have achieved if only she'd chosen to side with us. I don't know what she sees in the Alchemyst."

"You never did understand the human capacity for love, did you?" Machiavelli asked softly.

"Like the relationship between you and miss Johnson?" Dee asked just as softly

Lily sat bolt upright "how the heck do you know about that?" she snapped.

Dee turned to look at Lily and smiled "if you think I'm going to tell, I'm not, and I know because of the way you two look at each other, like moths to a flame"

Lily blanched "that sounded way to romantic coming from you" she stated bluntly.

Dee shrugged and stated "I understand that Nicholas survives and thrives because of the Sorceress. To destroy Nicholas, all we have to do is kill Perenelle. My master and I have always known that, but we thought that if we could capture both of them, their accumulated knowledge was worth the risk of leaving them alive."

"And now?"

"It is no longer worth the risk. Tonight," he added, very softly, "I finally did something that I should have done a long time ago." He sounded almost regretful.

"John," Machiavelli barked urgently, swiveling in the seat to look at the English Magician. "What have you done?"

"I've sent the Morrigan to Alcatraz. Perenelle will not see another dawn."

* * *

Lily saw Nidhogg first and pointed it out to the men, when Dee looked like he was going to get out of the car Lily was surprised that Machiavelli stopped him, but shrugged it off, she watched with horror though as she saw Nidhogg's tail turn to stone.

"The boy stabbed it with Clarent," Dee said, not even turning his head to look at Machiavelli. "That's what caused the reaction."

"I thought you said Clarent was the Sword of Fire, not the Sword of Stone."

"There are many different forms of fire," Dee said. "Who knows how the blade's energy reacted with something like Nidhogg?" He stared at the tail, watching as more of the thick black crust grew on the skin. As it hardened, he caught a brief glimpse of red fire. "Lava crust," he said, voice hushed in wonder. "It's lava crust. The fire is burning within the creature's skin."

"No wonder it's in pain," Machiavelli muttered.

"You sound almost sorry for it," Dee snapped.

"I never traded my humanity for my long life, Doctor. I've always remembered my roots." His voice hardened, turned contemptuous. "You worked so hard to be like your Elder master that you've forgotten what it is like to feel human—to be human. And we humans "—he stressed the last word—"have the capacity to feel another creature's pain. It is what lifted humani above the Elders, it is what made them great."

"And it's the weakness that will ultimately destroy them," Dee said simply. "Let me remind you that this creature is not human. It could crush you underfoot and not even notice. However, let us not argue now; not when we're about to be victorious. The boy might have solved our problem for us," Dee said. "Nidhogg is slowly turning to stone." He laughed delightedly. "If it jumps into the river now, the weight of its tail will drag it to the bottom—and take Scathach with it." He looked slyly at Machiavelli. "I take it your humanity does not extend to feeling sorry for the Shadow."

Machiavelli grimaced. "Knowing Scathach is lying at the bottom of the Seine wrapped in the creature's claws would make me very happy indeed."

The two immortals sat unmoving in the car, watching as the creature lurched forward, moving more slowly now, the weight of its tail dragging behind it. All that stood between it and the water was one of the glass-enclosed boats—the bateaux-mouches—that took tourists up and down the river.

Dee nodded toward the boat. "Once it climbs onto that, the boat will sink, and Nidhogg and Scathach will disappear into the Seine forever."

"And what about the Disir?"

"I'm sure she can swim."

Machiavelli allowed himself a wry smile. "So all we're waiting for now …"

"… is for it to reach the boat," Dee finished, just as Josh appeared through the gaping hole in the tree-lined quayside and darted across the parking lot.

"which might not happen if the boy goes hero and saves the Warrior" Lily stated flatly

* * *

Lily saw the Disir attack Josh and whimpered in fear for the boy. When the Disir was just about to kill Josh, Dee stepped in and put a thin wall of fire between the Disir and Josh, soon it disappeared but when the Disir tried to attack Josh again, Lily got out and hit the Disir with a sphere of pure Amethyst energy which made the Disir's armor crumble to dust and caused an unpleasant mixture of sulfur and Egyptian lotus blossoms to pollute the air. Lily went up to Josh and gently put her hand on Josh's shoulder, she felt Josh wince in pain just before he turned to look at her, Lily whispered "come on, we've got to get you out of here, this isn't the safest place to be."

Dee nodded "it would be best if we left right now" he said kindly.

Lily helped Josh to his feet

"Wait," Josh said hoarsely, voice raw with a combination of fear and the smoke. "Scatty …" He coughed and tried again. "Scatty is trapped …"

"Escaped," Dee said quickly, while Lily put an arm around the boy's shoulder, supporting him, leading him toward a police car.

"Escaped?" Josh mumbled, confused.

"Nidhogg lost its grip on her when I created the curtain of fire between you and the Disir. I saw her roll away from its claws, jump to her feet and race down the quay."

"She ran … she ran away?" That didn't sound right. She'd been limp and unconscious the last time he'd seen her. He tried to concentrate, but his head was throbbing, and the flesh on his face felt tight from the flames.

"Even the legendary Warrior could not stand against Nidhogg. Heroes survive to fight again because they know when to run."

"She left me?"

"I doubt she even knew you were there," Dee said quickly, Lily helped Josh into the back of a badly parked police car and slid in beside him while Dee got in the front and tapped the white-haired driver on the shoulder. "Let's go."

Josh sat up straight. "Wait … I dropped Clarent," he said.

"Trust me," Dee said, "you don't want to return for it." He leaned back so that Josh could look out the window. The Disir, her once-pristine white chain mail now hanging in tattered and rotting shreds about her, strode through the dying yellow flames. She spotted the boy in the back of the car and raced toward it, shouting unintelligibly in a language that sounded like wolves howling.

"Niccolò," Dee said quickly. "She's rather upset. We really should be going now, right now."

Machiavelli turned the key in the ignition so savagely that the starter screeched. The car lurched, jerked forward, then died.

"Oh great," Dee muttered. "That's just great." Josh watched as the Magician leaned out the window, brought his hand to his mouth and blew sharply into it. A yellow sphere of smoke rolled from his palm and dropped onto the ground. It bounced twice like a rubber ball, then exploded at head height just as it reached the Disir. Thick, sticky strands the color and consistency of dirty honey splashed over the Disir, then dripped down in long streamers, gluing her to the ground. "That should hold her …," Dee began. The Disir's broadsword sliced easily through the strands. "Or maybe not."

Through his pain, Josh realized that Machiavelli had tried—and failed—to get the car started again. "Let me," he muttered, scrambling over the back of the seat as Machiavelli slid over to the passenger side. Lily got out of the car and cast an amethyst cocoon around the Disir, before she got back in the back of the car with Dee.

"Keep going!" Dee shouted. Once Josh got the car started.

"I'm not stopping," Josh promised.

They pulled away just as the Disir started to cut through the cocoon.

* * *

review please!


	9. Fear of Cars

Chapter 9: Fear of Cars.

Dr. John Dee leaned across the backseat of the police car. "Turn here," he said to Josh. He saw the expression on the young man's face and added, "Please."

Josh hit the brakes and the car slid and screeched, the front tire now completely torn away and the wheel running on the metal rim, kicking up sparks.

"Now here." Dee pointed to a narrow alleyway lined on both sides with rows of plastic trash cans. Watching him in the rearview mirror, Josh could see that he kept twisting in the seat to look behind him.

"Is she following?" Machiavelli asked.

"I can't see her," Dee said crisply, "but I think we need to get off the streets."

Josh struggled to control the car. "We won't get much farther in this," he began, and then hit the first trash can, which toppled into a second and then a third, scattering rubbish across the alley. He turned the steering wheel sharply to avoid running over one of the fallen bins and the engine began to bang alarmingly. The car wobbled and then suddenly stopped, smoke billowing from the hood. "Out," Josh said quickly. "I think we're on fire." He scrambled out of the car Lily right next to him, Machiavelli and Dee exiting on the other side. Then they turned and ran down the alley, away from the car. They had taken perhaps half a dozen steps when there was a dull thump and the car burst into flames. Thick black smoke began spiraling upward into the sky.

"Wonderful," Dee said bitterly. "So now the Disir definitely knows where we are. And she's not going to be happy."

"Well, not with you, that's for sure," Machiavelli said with a wry smile.

"Me?" Dee looked surprised.

"I'm not the one who set fire to her," Machiavelli reminded him.

"no but your girlfriend wrapped her in a cacoon"

"Enough, already!" Josh rounded on the two men and the woman. "Who was that … that woman?"

"That," Machiavelli said with a grim smile, "was a Valkyrie."

"A Valkyrie?"

"Sometimes called a Disir."

"A Disir?"

Josh stepped back from the woman and two men. "I've got to get back," he said

Dee turned to look at him, gray eyes twinkling kindly. "Why, Josh, where are you going?"

"Back to my sister."

"And Flamel and Saint-Germain too? Tell me; what are they going to do for you?"

Josh took another step backward. "Don't try and stop me," he began, turning away.

"What did it feel like?" Dee asked suddenly.

Josh slowly turned to look at the Magician.

"What was it like holding Clarent, feeling that raw power running through you? What was it like knowing the thoughts and emotions of the creature you'd just stabbed?" Dee reached under his tattered suit coat and pulled out Clarent's twin: Excalibur. "It is an awe-inspiring feeling, is it not?" He turned the blade in his hand, a blue-black trickle of energy shivering across the stone sword. "I know you must have experienced Nidhogg's thoughts … emotions … memories?"

Josh nodded.

"For an instant you knew what it was to be godlike: to see worlds beyond imagination, to experience alien emotions. You saw the past, the very distant past … you might even have seen Nidhogg's Shadowrealm."

Josh nodded slowly,

The Magician took a step closer to the boy. "For an instant, Josh, the merest instant, it was like being Awakened—though nowhere near as intense," he added quickly. "And you do want to have your powers Awakened?"

Josh nodded. "But it can't be done," he said quickly.

Dee laughed. "Oh yes, it can. It can be done here, today," he finished triumphantly.

"But Flamel said …," Josh began, and then stopped,

"Flamel says many things. I doubt even he knows what is the truth anymore."

"Do you?" Josh snapped.

"Always." Dee jerked his thumb over his shoulder at Machiavelli and Lily who was resting her forhead on Machiavelli's shoulder and gripping her stomach. "The Italian and the witch are no friends of mine," he said quietly, staring directly into Josh's troubled eyes. "So ask them the question: ask them if your powers could be Awakened this very morning."

Josh turned to regard Niccolò Machiavelli and Lily Johnson. The tall white-haired man looked vaguely troubled, but he nodded in agreement. "The English Magician is correct: your powers could be Awakened today. I imagine we could probably find someone to do it within the hour."

Smiling triumphantly, Dee turned back to Josh. "It's your choice. So, give me your answer—do you want to go back to Flamel and his vague promises, or do you want to have your powers Awakened? I need an answer," Dee said.

Josh Newman took a deep breath. "What do I have to do?"

* * *

"Impressive" the Witch of Endor said after she saw Lily wrap a cocoon around the Disir. "She has impressive powers"

"Why have you called me here sister?" a woman asked, leaning against the wall. She was medium height, with black hair streaked with some white, all in a tight braid, her eyes were multicolored but were mostly and icy blue color.

The Witch of Endor smiled and turned to look at the mirror the woman was facing "you always were impatient Hera"

"I told you; never to call me that again!" Hera snapped

Dora smiled and said "it's your birth name and there for it is the name I shall call you"

Hera rolled her eyes "you always were stubborn Zephaniah" she whispered "now why have you called me here, we don't speak for over thousands of years and suddenly you want to see me?"

The witch pointed to the mirror that Hera stood in front of and they both saw Lily kissing Niccolò Machiavelli "you need to tell her the truth Hera, you should have told her 3 years ago, you didn't and I understand your decision not too, but its time, she needs to know now."

Hera shook her head, "I don't have to tell her anything!"

"You have too tell her Juno, she needs to know, you need to tell her"

Hera, or Juno shook her head "I don't have to listen to you Zephaniah! I made my choice a long time ago!"

"And you want to drag her down with you in that choice?" the witch demanded.

Juno looked Zephaniah squarely in the eyes, "she has chosen Machiavelli, nothing I tell her will change her mind,"

Zephaniah shook her head "I wouldn't be so sure Juno"

"Why? What have you seen concerning Lily?"

"Many things, in half the strands of time, she died in the car accident 5 years ago"

* * *

Josh Newman stopped and swallowed hard. Any moment now, he was going to throw up. Although it was cool and damp underground, he was sweating, his hair plastered to his skull, his shirt lying icy and clinging along the length of his spine. He had gone beyond frightened, past terrified and straight to petrified.

Descending into the sewers had been bad enough. Dee had wrenched the manhole cover out of the ground without any effort, and they'd jerked back as a plume of filthy, foul-smelling gas vented into the street. When it had drifted away, Dee had slipped into the opening, followed a moment later by Josh, then Lily and finally Machiavelli. They'd climbed down a short metal ladder and ended up standing in a tunnel that was so narrow they had to march single file and so low that only Dee could walk upright. The tunnel dipped, and Josh gasped as ice-cold water suddenly flooded his sneakers. The smell was appalling, and he desperately tried not to think about what he might be wading through.

The rotten-egg stink of sulfur briefly masked the smells in the sewer as Dee created a globe of cold blue-white light. It hovered and danced in the air about twelve inches in front of the Magician, painting the interior of the narrow arched tunnel in stark ashen light and deep impenetrable shadows. As they sloshed forward, Josh could hear things moving and glimpsed sparkling points of red light shifting in the blackness. He hoped they were only rats.

"I don't …," Josh began, his voice echoing distortedly in the narrow tunnel. "I really don't like small spaces."

"Neither do I," Machiavelli added tightly. "I spent a little time in prison, a long time ago. I've never forgotten it."

"Was it as bad as this?" Josh asked shakily.

"Worse." Machiavelli was walking behind Josh and he leaned forward to add, "Try and stay calm. This is just a maintenance tunnel; we'll get into the proper sewers in a few moments."

Josh took a deep breath and gagged on the smell. He had to remember to breathe only through his mouth. "And how is that going to help?" he muttered through clenched teeth.

"The sewers of Paris are mirrors of the streets above," Machiavelli explained, his breath warm against Josh's ear. "The bigger sewers are fifteen feet high."

Machiavelli was correct; moments later they came out of the cramped and claustrophobic service tunnel into a tall arched sewer wide enough to drive a car through. The high brick walls were brightly lit and lined with black pipes of various thicknesses. Somewhere in the distance, water splashed and gurgled.

Josh felt the claustrophobia ease a little. Sophie sometimes got scared in wide-open spaces; he was afraid of tightly enclosed spots. Agoraphobia and claustrophobia. He took a deep breath; the air was still tainted with effluent, but at least it was breathable. He lifted the front of his black T-shirt to cover his face and breathed in: it stank. When he got out of here—if he got out of here—he'd have to burn everything, including the fancy designer jeans Saint-Germain had given him. He quickly dropped the shirt, realizing that he'd nearly exposed the bag he wore on the cord around his neck containing the pages from the Codex. No matter what happened now, he was determined that he wasn't going to give up the pages to Dee, not until he was sure—very, very, very sure—that the Magician's motives were honest.

"Where are we?" he wondered aloud, looking back at Machiavelli and Lily. Dee had walked out into the center of the sewer, the solid white ball now spinning just above the palm of his outstretched hand.

The tall Italian glanced around. "I've no idea," he admitted. "There are about twenty-one hundred kilometers of sewers—around thirteen hundred miles," he amended, seeing the blank look on Josh's face. "But don't worry, we'll not get lost. Most have their own street signs."

"Street signs in the sewers?" Lily and Josh asked in unison

"The sewers of Paris are one of the great wonders of this city." Machiavelli smiled.

"Come!" Dee's voice cracked out, echoing in the chamber.

"Do you know where we're going?" Josh asked quietly. He knew from experience that he needed to keep distracted; once he started thinking about the narrowness of the tunnels and the weight of the earth above him, his claustrophobia would reduce him to a wreck.

"We're going down, into the deepest, oldest part of the catacombs. You're going to be Awakened."

"Do you know who we're going to see?"

Machiavelli's usually impassive face twitched in a grimace. "Yes. By reputation only. I've never seen it." He lowered his voice to little more than a whisper and caught Josh's sleeve, pulling him back. "It's not too late to turn back," he said.

Josh blinked in surprise. "Dee wouldn't like that."

"Probably not," Machiavelli agreed with a wry smile.

Josh was puzzled. Dee had said Machiavelli wasn't his friend, and it had been obvious that the two men didn't agree. "But I thought you and Dee were on the same side."

"We are both in the service of the Elders, it is true … but I have never approved of the English Magician and his methods."

Ahead of them, Dee turned into a smaller tunnel and stopped before a narrow metal door that was secured by a thick padlock. He pinched through the hasp of the metal lock with fingernails that stank of foul yellow power and pulled open the door. "Hurry," he called back impatiently.

"This … this person we're going to see," Josh said slowly, "can they really Awaken my powers?"

"I have no doubt about it," Machiavelli said softly. "Is the Awakening so important to you?" he asked, and Josh was aware that Machiavelli was watching him closely.

"My sister was Awakened—my twin sister," he explained slowly. "I want … I need to have my powers Awakened so we're alike again." He looked at the tall white-haired man. "Does that make sense?"

Machiavelli nodded, his face an unreadable mask. "But is that the only reason, Josh?"

The boy looked at him for a long moment before he turned away. Machiavelli was right; it wasn't the only reason. When he'd held Clarent, he'd briefly experienced a hint of what it must be like to have Awakened senses. For a few moments, he'd felt truly alive, he'd felt complete … and more than anything else, he wanted to experience that feeling again.

Dee led them into another tunnel, which was, if anything, even narrower than the first. Josh felt his stomach clench and his heart start to thump. The tunnel turned and twisted downward in a series of slender stairs. The stones here were older, the steps irregularly shaped, the walls soft and crumbling as they brushed past. In some places it was so narrow that Josh had to turn sideways to slip through. He got stuck in a particularly confined corner and immediately started to feel breathless panic bubbling in his chest. Then Dee caught one arm and unceremoniously yanked him through, tearing a long strip off the back of his T-shirt. "Nearly there," the Magician muttered. He raised his arm slightly and the bobbing ball of silver light rose higher into the air, revealing the tunnel's pitted brickwork.

"Hang on a second; let me catch my breath." Josh bent over, hands on his knees, breathing deeply. He realized that as long as he concentrated on the ball of light and didn't think about the walls and ceiling closing in on him, he was OK. "How do you know where we're going?" he panted. "Have you been here before?"

"I was here once before … a long time ago," Dee said with a grin. "Right now, I'm just following the light." The harsh white light turned the Magician's smile into something terrifying.

Josh remembered a trick his football coach had taught him. He wrapped his hands around his stomach and squeezed hard as he breathed in and straightened up. The feeling of queasiness immediately eased. "Who are we going to see?" he asked.

"Patience, humani, patience." Dee looked past Josh to where Machiavelli was standing. "I'm sure our Italian friend will agree. One of the great advantages of immortality is that one learns patience. There is a saying: 'good things come to those who wait.'"

"Not always good things," Machiavelli muttered as Dee turned away.

Josh decided to take his mind off of the tunnels and turned to Lily "so, do you get car sick a lot?"

Lily looked at Josh surprised a little and then shrugged "I get car sick a lot, I have often since I was 16"

Josh looked surprised and asked "why?"

Lily looked at Josh a smiled a little "my parents, my little brother and myself were going home from an amusement park, when a car swerved into the same lane and hit us dead on, my mother and father died instantly, but my little brother died in my arms, five minutes before the paramedics arrived, the guy who hit us had been drinking and was killed instantly."

Josh winced "I'm sorry"

Lily shrugged "not your fault, but ever since that day, I've been deathly afraid of cars, if someone experienced is driving I can handle it, but if it's a maniac who learned to drive on a car that had 3 wheels or a 15 year old who doesn't even have his license, then the nausea sets in" she smiled kindly at Josh and then turned forward to the tunnel.

At the end of the narrow tunnel was a low metal door. It looked as if it hadn't been opened in decades and had rusted solid into the weeping limestone wall. In the white light, Josh saw that the rust had stained the off-white stone the color of dried blood.

The ball of light bobbed in the air while Dee ran his glowing yellow fingernail around the edge of the door, cutting it out of the frame, the stink of rotten eggs blanketing the odor of sewage.

"What's through here?" Josh asked. Now that he'd started to get his fear under control, he was beginning to feel a little excitement. Once he was Awakened, he'd slip away and get back to Sophie. He turned to look at Machiavelli, but the Italian shook his head and pointed to Dee. "Dr. Dee?" Josh asked.

Dee broke open the low door and jerked it out of its frame. Soft stone crumbled and flaked away around it. "If I am correct—and I almost always am," the Magician added, Lily rolled her eyes at that statement. "Then this will lead us into the Catacombs of Paris." Dee leaned the door against the wall and then stepped through the opening.

Josh ducked to follow him. "I've never heard of them."

"Few people outside Paris have," Machiavelli said, "and yet, along with the sewers, they are one of the marvels of this city. Over a hundred seventy miles of mysterious and labyrinthine tunnels. The catacombs were once limestone quarries. And now they are filled …"

Josh stepped through the opening, straightened up and looked around.

"… with bones."

The boy felt something twist in the pit of his stomach and he swallowed hard, a sour and bitter taste at the back of his throat. Directly ahead, as far as he could see in the gloomy tunnel, the walls, the curved ceiling and even the floor were composed of polished human bones.

* * *

alright, 3 chapters up in 1 day, review please :)


	10. the Sleeping God

Once again i own nothing except lily and her kick but attitude

* * *

Chapter 10: the Sleeping God

"Bones," Josh said numbly, looking up and down the tunnel.

Dee strode down the corridor and his sphere of light sent shadows dancing and twitching, making it appear as if the empty eye sockets were moving, following him.

"Are these all human bones?" Josh whispered.

"Yes," Machiavelli said softly, his voice now touched with a trace of his Italian accent. "There are the remains of at least six million bodies down here. Maybe more. The catacombs were originally huge limestone quarries." He jerked his thumb upward. "The same limestone used to build the city. Paris is built over a warren of tunnels."

"How did they get down here?" Josh's voice trembled. He coughed, wrapped his arms tightly around his body and tried to look nonchalant, "They look ancient; how long have they been here?"

"A couple of hundred years only," Machiavelli said, surprising him. "By the end of the eighteenth century, the graveyards of Paris were overflowing. I was in the city then," he added, mouth twisting in disgust. "I'd never seen anything like it. There were so many dead in the city that the graveyards were often just huge mounds of piled earth with bones visible in them. Paris might have been one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but it was also the foulest. Worse than London—and that's saying something!" He laughed, and the sound echoed and reechoed off the bone walls and was distorted into something hideous. "The stink was indescribable, and there truly were rats as big as dogs. Disease was rife and outbreaks of plague were common. Finally, it was recognized that the overflowing graveyards must have something to do with the contagion. So it was decided to empty the graveyards and move the remains down into the empty quarries."

Lily blanched and shuddered "eww" she was a true girly girl too the core.

"Who made the patterns?" Josh asked, pointing to a particularly ornate sunburst design that had been created using human bones of various length to represent the sunbeams.

Machiavelli shrugged. "Who knows? Someone who wished to honor the dead, perhaps; someone trying to make sense out of what must have been incredible chaos. Humans are always looking to make order out of chaos," he added softly.

Josh looked at him. "You call them … us, 'humans.' You both do" He turned to look for Dee, but the Magician had almost reached the end of the corridor and was out of earshot. "Dee calls us humani."

"Don't confuse us with Dee," Machiavelli said with an icy smile.

Lily smirked "we're not as arrogant as him and we never forget that we are humans,"

Josh was confused. Who was the more powerful here—Dee or Machiavelli and Lily? He'd thought it was the Magician, but he was beginning to suspect that the Italian and American were much more in control. "Scathach told us you were more dangerous and more cunning than Dee," he said to Machiavelli, thinking aloud.

Machiavelli's smile turned to a delighted grin. "That's the nicest thing she's ever said about me."

"And she also said that the two of you together meant we might be in real trouble." Josh continued

Lily practically beamed in happiness "she really said that? I'll have to send her a thank you card!"

"Is it true? Are you both more dangerous than Dee?"

Machiavelli took a moment to consider. Then he smiled and the faintest hint of serpent filled the tunnel. "Absolutely."

Lily smiled at Josh and whispered "we don't act before we think, we both have the brains to work through any obstical, Machiavelli is a strategist, he is the one who makes the plans, me, i'm stealthy and tricky i do a good job of being behind the scenes or being in the spotlight. together, we're pretty tough too beat, that doesn't mean we can't be beaten though" she shrugged.

"Hurry; this way," Dr. Dee called back, voice flattened by the narrow walls and low ceiling. He turned and headed off down the bone-lined tunnel, taking the light with him. Josh was tempted to run after him, unwilling to be alone in the utter darkness, but then Machiavelli snapped his fingers and an elegant candle-thin flame of gray-white light appeared in the palm of his hand.

"Not all the tunnels are like this," Machiavelli continued, indicating the neatly set bones in the walls, the regular shapes and patterns. "Some of the small tunnels are simply piled high with assorted bits and pieces."

They rounded a curve in the tunnel and found Dee waiting for them, tapping his foot impatiently. He turned and marched away without saying a word.

Josh concentrated on Dee's back and the globe of light bobbing over his shoulder as they wound deeper and deeper into the catacombs.

"Do people ever come down here?" he asked Machiavelli, making conversation just for the sake of hearing a sound in the oppressive silence.

"Yes. Portions of the catacombs are open to the public," Machiavelli said, holding his hand high, the thin flame picking out the ornate patterns of bones set in the walls, dancing shadows bringing them to flickering life. "But there are many kilometers of catacombs beneath the city, and vast tracts of it have not been mapped. Exploring those tunnels is dangerous and illegal, of course, but people still do it. Those people are called cataphiles. There's even a special police unit, the cataflics, that patrols these tunnels." Machiavelli waved an arm at the surrounding walls, the flame dancing wildly but not extinguishing. "But we'll run into neither group down here. This area is completely unknown. We are deep below the city now, in one of the very first quarries excavated many centuries ago."

"Deep below the city," Josh repeated slowly. "I think," he whispered to Machiavelli, "I think I'd like to head back up to the surface now, if that's OK."

The Italian blinked in genuine surprise. "No, Josh, no, it's not OK." Machiavelli reached out and squeezed Josh's shoulder and the close air in the tunnel was touched with the scent of orange and the rank odor of snake. "It's too late for that," Machiavelli said gently. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "We've gone too deep … there's no turning back. You will leave these catacombs Awakened or …"

"Or what?" Josh asked, when he realized, with a growing sense of horror, how the Italian was going to finish the sentence.

"Or you will not leave them at all," Machiavelli said simply.

Lily put a hand on Josh's shoulder and murmured "you want too talk to get your mind off your claustrophobia?"

Josh nodded, Lily smiled and whispered "what do you want too talk about?"

Josh looked at Lily and whispered "why are you being so kind and open with me?"

Lily looked at Josh in surprise for a moment before smiling "because I can guess that Flamel and Scathach have not been open with you and your sister"

Josh nodded, they came up to a curve on the tunnel and Lily stopped him and made him look at her "Josh, I want you too listen to me very closely okay? Don't trust Dee, no matter what he tells you, don't trust Dee, don't trust Flamel, don't trust Scathach, don't trust me or Niccolò… don't even trust your twin sister, trust only yourself, because there is no one else who will back you up one hundred percent, other than yourself"

Josh looked confused "you trust Niccolò, you and he practically talk about each other like you're a unit not two individuals, why can't I trust Sophie? She's my twin sister"

Lily smiled and shook her head "I don't trust Niccolò always, I have my secrets, just as he has his, I love him dearly, but at the end of the day, I know that the only loyalty I really have is too myself, Sophie might be your twin sister, but she's going to have different opinions from you, and you need to decide what's best for _**You.**_ I'm not saying you shouldn't trust her at all, I'm saying don't trust her opinions, make your own decisions and ultimately, decide what you need to do, don't believe what people tell you, don't let others influence your decisions, my father once told me that the only way you can be on the wrong side of a war, is if your fighting for a side and cause you don't believe in."

Josh thought about what Lily said and then nodded before they continued on.

They rounded a curve and started down a long arrow-straight tunnel. The walls here were even more ornately decorated in bone but with strange square patterns.

Dee was waiting for them at the end of the tunnel. His gray eyes sparkled in the reflected light, which also lent his skin an unhealthy glow. When he spoke, his English accent had thickened, and the words tumbled so quickly it was difficult to comprehend what he was saying.

"This is now a momentous day for you, boy, a momentous day. For not only will your powers be Awakened, but you will also meet one of the few Elders who is still remembered by humanity. It is a great honor." He clapped his hands together. Ducking his head, he raised his hand, bringing up the globe of light, and revealed two tall arched columns of bones that had been shaped to form a doorframe. Beyond the opening, there was utter blackness. Stepping back, he directed, "You first."

Josh hesitated and Machiavelli caught his arm and squeezed tightly. When he spoke, his voice was low and urgent. "Whatever happens, you must not show fear, and do not panic. Your life, your very sanity, depends on it. Do you understand?"

"No fear, no panic," Josh repeated. He was starting to hyperventilate. "No fear, no panic."

"Go now." Machiavelli released the boy's arm and pushed him forward toward Dee and the bone doorway. "Have your powers Awakened," he said, "and I hope it will be worth it."

Something in Machiavelli's voice made Josh look back. There was a look almost of pity on the Italian's face, and Josh stopped. Dee looked at him, gray eyes glittering, lips twisted in an ugly smile. He raised his eyebrows. "Don't you want to be Awakened?"

And Josh really had only one answer to that.

Glancing back at Machiavelli again, he half raised a hand in farewell, took a deep breath and stepped through the arched doorway into the pitch-black. Light blossomed as Dee followed him, and the boy discovered that he was standing in a vast circular chamber that seemed to be carved entirely out of one enormous bone—the smoothly curved walls, the polished yellow ceiling, even the parchment-colored floor were the same shade and texture as the bone-filled walls outside.

Dee put his hand on the small of Josh's back and urged him forward. Josh took two steps and stopped. The past few days had taught him to expect surprises—wonders, creatures and monsters: but this, this was … disappointing.

The chamber was empty except for a long rectangular raised stone plinth in the center of the room. Dee's globe of light bobbed over the platform, harshly illuminating every carved detail. Lying flat on the top of a pitted slab of limestone was a huge statue of a man in ancient-looking metal and leather armor, gauntleted hands wrapped around the thick hilt of a broadsword that was at least six feet long. Rising up on his toes, Josh could see that the statue's head was covered in a helmet that completely concealed the face.

Josh looked around. Dee was standing to the right of the doorway and Machiavelli had stepped into the room and taken up a position on the left. They were both watching him intently. "What … what happens now?" he asked, his voice flat and muffled in the chamber.

Neither man responded. Machiavelli folded his arms and tilted his head slightly to one side, eyes narrowing.

"Who's this?" Josh asked, jerking a thumb at the statue. He didn't expect to get an answer from Dee, but when he turned to the Italian and Lily he realized that they weren't looking at him, he was looking beyond him. Josh spun around … just as two nightmarish creatures materialized out of the shadows.

Everything about them was white, from their almost transparent skin to the long fine hair that flowed down their backs and brushed the floor behind them. It was impossible to say whether they were male or female. They were the size of small children, unnaturally thin, with bulbous heads, broad foreheads and pointed chins. Overlarge ears and tiny nubs of horn grew out of the top of their skulls. Huge circular eyes without any pupils fixed on him, and when the creatures stepped forward, he realized that there was something wrong with their legs. Their thighs curved backward, and then the legs jutted forward at the knee and ended in goatlike hooves.

They separated as they came around the slab, and Josh's instinct was to back away from them, but then he remembered Machiavelli's advice and stood his ground. Taking a deep breath, he looked closely at the nearer creature and discovered that it was not quite as terrifying as it looked at first: it was so small it appeared almost fragile. He thought he knew what they were; he'd seen images of them on fragments of Greek and Roman pottery on the bookshelves in his mom's study. They were fauns, or maybe satyrs; he wasn't sure what the difference was.

The creatures slowly circled Josh, reaching for him with icy long-fingered hands tipped with filthy black nails, stroking his torn T-shirt, pinching the fabric of his jeans. They spoke together, chattering in high-pitched, almost inaudible voices that set his teeth on edge. One bone-chilling finger touched the flesh of his stomach and his aura spat and crackled gold sparks. "Hey!" he shouted. The creatures jumped back, but that single touch had set Josh's heart racing. He was abruptly gripped by every nameless fear he'd ever imagined, and all the nightmares that most terrified him flooded to the surface, leaving him gasping and shaking, bathed in a bitter icy sweat. The second faun darted forward and laid a cold hand on Josh's face. Suddenly, his heart was tripping madly, his stomach churning with mindless panic.

The two creatures held each other and jumped up and down, shaking with what could only be laughter.

"Josh." Machiavelli's commanding voice broke through the boy's rising panic and silenced the creatures. "Josh. Listen to me. Hear my voice, concentrate on it. The satyrs are simple creatures and feed off the most basic of human emotions: one gorges itself on fear, the other delights in panic. They are Phobos and Deimos."

At the mention of their names, the two satyrs started back, fading into the shadows, until only their huge liquid eyes were visible, black and shining in the light of the hovering globe.

"They are the Guardians of the Sleeping God."

And then, with a grinding of ancient stone, the statue sat up and swiveled its head to look at Josh. Within the helmet, two eyes blazed blood red.

* * *

Review please :D


	11. Good Luck

i own nothing!

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Chapter 11: Good Luck

"Hail, Mars, the Lord of War," Dee said loudly.

The huge helmeted head slowly turned to look at Dee. The Magician's aura immediately snapped alight, sizzling yellow and vaporous around him. Within the god's helmet, red light glowed. The head turned again with the sound of grinding stone, and blazing crimson eyes looked at the boy. The two ghost-white satyrs, Phobos and Deimos, crept out of the shadows and crouched behind the stone pedestal, watching Josh intently.

"Great Mars, it is almost time," Dee said quickly, "time for the Elders to return to the world of the humani." He took a breath and announced dramatically, "We have the Codex."

At the mention of the Codex, the Elder's head snapped toward Dee, eyes blazing, wisps of red smoke drifting from the slit in the helm.

"The prophecy is almost fulfilled," Dee continued quickly. "Soon we will make the Final Summoning. Soon we will free the Lost Elders and return them to their rightful place as rulers of the world. Soon we will return the world to the paradise it once was."

With the sound of grinding stone, Mars swung his legs off the plinth and turned so that he was sitting facing the boy.

Dee's voice rose almost to a shout. "And the first prophecy of the Codex has come to pass. We have found the two that are one. We have found the twins of legend." He waved a hand toward Josh. "This humani possesses an aura of pure gold; his twin sister's aura is unblemished silver."

Mars tilted his head to look at Josh again and then stretched out a gloved hand. It was still a foot and a half away from the boy's shoulder when his aura bloomed silently around him, the bright glow lighting up the interior of the chamber, turning the polished bone walls golden, sending Phobos and Deimos scuttling for shelter in the deepest shadows behind the plinth. The dry air was suddenly rich with the scent of orange.

"The girl's powers have been Awakened," Dee continued, his voice echoing in the chamber. "The boy's have not. If we are to succeed, if we are to bring back the Elders, this boy's powers must be Awakened. Mars Ultor, will you Awaken the boy?"

The god planted his tall broadsword on the ground, the point sinking easily into the bone floor, wrapped both hands around the hilt and leaned forward to look at Josh.

"Twins."

It took a moment to realize that Mars had spoken. The god's voice was surprisingly soft and sounded incredibly weary. "Twins?" The question in his voice was unmistakable.

"Y—yes," Josh stammered. "I have a twin sister, Sophie."

"I had twin boys once … a long time ago," Mars said, his voice lost and distant. "Good boys, fine boys," he added, "Who is the elder?" he asked. "You or your sister?"

"Sophie," Josh said, lips curling in a sudden smile. "But only by twenty-eight seconds."

"And do you love your sister?" Mars asked.

Taken by surprise, Josh said, "Yes … well, I mean, yes, of course I do. She's my twin."

Mars nodded. "Romulus, my younger boy, said that too. He swore to me that he loved his brother, Remus. And then he killed him."

The bone chamber fell deathly silent.

"I had Awakened my sons' auras, gave them access to powers and abilities beyond those of the humani. All their senses and emotions were heightened … including the emotions of hate, fear and love." He paused, and then added, "They had been close—so close—until I Awakened their senses. That destroyed them." There was another, longer pause. "Perhaps it would be better if I did not Awaken you. For your own sake and the sake of your sister."

Josh blinked in surprise and looked over his shoulder at Dee, Machiavelli and Lily. The Italian's face was impassive, Lily looked almost relieved, but Dee looked as stunned as Josh felt. Was Mars refusing to Awaken him?

"Lord Mars," the Magician began, "the boy must be Awakened …"

"It will be his choice," Mars said mildly.

"I demand—"

The glow within the god's helm turned incandescent. "You demand!"

"In my master's name, of course," Dee said quickly. "My master demands—"

"Your master can make no demands of me, Magician," Mars whispered. "And if you speak again," he added, "I will loose my companions on you." Phobos and Deimos clambered over the god's shoulders to peer at Dee. They were both drooling. "It is a terrible death." He looked back at Josh. "This is your choice and yours alone. I can Awaken your powers. I can make you powerful. Dangerously powerful." Red eyes blazed brightly, the centers burning yellow hot. "Is this what you want?"

"Yes," Josh said without hesitation.

"There is a price, for everything has a price."

"I'll pay it," Josh said immediately, though he had no idea what that payment might be.

Mars nodded his great head, stone cracking and grinding. "A good response, the correct response. Asking me about the price would have been a mistake."

Phobos and Deimos cackled in what could only be assumed was a laugh.

"There will come a time when I will remind you that you are in debt to me." The god looked over Josh's head. "Who will mentor the boy?"

"I will," Dee and Machiavelli said simultaneously.

Josh turned to look at the two immortals, surprised by their response. Of the two, he thought he would prefer to be mentored by Machiavelli. He was a little surprised that Lily hadn't said something, she met his eyes and mouthed "I'm too new to it myself, other wise I would"

"Magician, he is yours," Mars said after a moment's consideration. "I can read your intent and your motives clearly. You intend to use the boy to bring back the Elders; I have no doubt of that. But you …," he added, his head swiveling to look at Machiavelli.

"I cannot read your aura; I do not know what you want. Perhaps because you have not yet decided." Lily looked at Machiavelli in surprise but said nothing and turned back to the scene before her.

Rocks snapped and creaked as the god stood. He was at least seven feet tall, his helmeted head almost brushing the ceiling. "Kneel," he said to Josh, who folded to his knees. Mars tugged his huge sword free from the floor and spun it until it was directly in front of the boy's face.

"What are your clan name and your parents' names?"

Josh's mouth was so dry he could barely speak. "The clan name? Oh, the family name is Newman. My father is Richard and my mother is Sara."

The timbre of the god's voice changed, becoming stronger, loud enough to feel the vibrations in their bones. "Josh, son of Richard and Sara of the Clan Newman, of the race humani, I will grant you an Awakening. You have acknowledged that this is no gift and there will be a price to pay. If you do not pay it, I will destroy you and everything you hold dear."

Lily smiled and whispered to Machiavelli "well that's one way to say **you owe me**"

"I'll pay," Josh said thickly.

"I know you will." The huge sword moved, first touching Josh's right shoulder, then his left before moving back to his right. The faintest outline of his aura winked into existence around his body. Wisps of gold smoke started to curl off his blond hair, and the scent of citrus grew stronger. "Hence-forth you will see with acuity …"

Josh's bright blue eyes turned into solid gold discs. Immediately, tears gathered and ran down his face. They were the color and texture of liquid gold.

"You will hear with clarity …"

Smoke coiled from the boy's ears.

"You will taste with purity …"

Josh opened his mouth and coughed. A puff of saffron-colored mist appeared, and tiny amber sparks danced between his tongue and teeth.

"You will touch with sensitivity …"

The boy brought his hands up to his face. They were glowing so brightly that they were almost transparent. Sparks leapt and curled between each finger, and his badly chewed fingernails were polished mirrors.

"You will smell with intensity …"

Josh's head was almost completely enveloped in golden smoke now. It trickled from his nostrils, making it look as if he were breathing fire. His aura had thickened, solidified around his shoulders and across his chest, becoming shiny and reflective.

The god's sword moved again, tapping lightly against the boy's shoulders. "Truly, yours is one of the most powerful auras I have ever encountered," Mars said quietly. "There is something else I can give you—a gift—and this I give freely. You may find it of use in the days to come." Stretching out his left hand, he rested it on top of the boy's head. Instantly, Josh's aura burst into incandescent light. Streamers and globes of yellow fire curled from his body and bounced around the room. Phobos and Deimos were caught by the blast of light and heat, and it sent them squealing and scrambling behind the stone plinth, but not before their pale skin had reddened and the tips of their snow white hair had darkened and crisped. The searing light drove Dee to his knees, gloved hands pressed against his eyes. He rolled over, burying his face in his hands as spheres of fire bounced off the floor and ceiling, spattering against the walls, leaving scorch marks on the polished bone.

Only Machiavelli and Lily had escaped the full force of the explosion of light. They'd turned away and ducked out of the room in the last instant before Mars had touched the boy. Lily feinted outside the room while Machiavelli curled up in a ball, and hid in the deep shadows outside the door while streamers of yellow light ricocheted off the walls and hissing balls of solid energy blazed out into the corridor. He blinked hard, trying to clear the streaked afterimages seared onto his retinas. Machiavelli had seen Awakenings before, but never anything this dramatic. What was Mars doing to the boy, what gift was he giving him?

Then, through his blurring vision, he saw a vague silvery shape materialize at the other end of the corridor.

And the scent of vanilla filled the catacombs.

* * *

Lily awoke too Niccolò shaking her and he dragged her into the room where Mars and Dee still were.

Niccolò Machiavelli and Lily looked into the chamber. In the center of the room, caught as he tried to rise from the floor, the two satyrs on his back, was Mars Ultor, frozen in bone.

"So the catacombs of Paris have yet another mysterious bone statue," the Italian said mildly. Dee turned away. "First you kill Hekate and now Mars," Machiavelli continued. "And I thought you were supposed to be on our side. You do realize," he called after Dee, "that we are all dead. We've failed to capture Flamel and the twins. Our masters will not forgive us."

"We've not failed yet," Dee called back. He was almost at the end of the corridor. "I know where this tunnel comes out. I know how we can capture them." He stopped and looked back, and when he spoke, the words came slowly, almost reluctantly. "But … Niccolò, Lily … we will need to work together. We will need to combine our powers."

"What do you intend to do?" Machiavelli asked.

"Together, we can loose the Guardians of the City."

* * *

Niccolò Machiavelli took a tentative step forward and looked down over the city of Paris. He was standing on the roof of the great Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame; below was the river Seine and the Pont au Double, and directly spread out before him was the broad parvis, the square. Holding tightly to the ornate brickwork, he drew in a deep shuddering breath and willed his thumping heart to slow. He had just climbed one thousand and one steps up out of the catacombs onto the roof of the cathedral, following a secret route Dee claimed he'd used before. His legs were trembling with the effort and his knees ached. Machiavelli liked to think that he kept himself in good condition—he was a strict vegetarian and exercised every day—but the climb had exhausted him. He was also vaguely irritated that the strenuous climb hadn't affected Dee in the slightest. Lily looked a little worn out but no more so when she finished a fashion show. "When did you say you were last up here?" he asked Dee.

"I didn't say," the Magician snapped. He was standing to Machiavelli's left, in the shadow of the south tower. "But if you must know, it was in 1575." He pointed off to one side. "I met the Morrigan right there. It was on this roof that I first learned of the true nature of Nicholas Flamel and the existence of the Book of Abraham. So perhaps it is fitting that it ends here too."

Machiavelli leaned out and looked down. He was standing almost directly above the west rose window. The square below him should have been thronged with tourists, but it was eerily deserted. "And how do you know Flamel and the others will come out here?" he asked.

Dee's small teeth flashed in an ugly grin. "We know the boy is claustrophobic. His senses have just been Awakened. When he comes out of whatever trance Mars left him in, he's going to be terrified, and his heightened senses will only add to that terror. For the sake of his sanity, Flamel will have to get him above ground as quickly as possible. I know that there is a secret passage leading from the buried Roman city into the cathedral." He suddenly pointed down as five figures stumbled out of the central door directly below them. "You see?" he said triumphantly. "I'm never wrong." He looked at Machiavelli and Lily. "You know what we have to do?"

The Italian nodded. "I know."

Lily nodded as well "I'm aware"

"Neither of you look too happy about it."

"Defacing a beautiful building is a crime." Machiavelli stated

"But killing people is not?" Dee asked.

"Well, people can always be replaced."

Lily smacked Machiavelli upside the head gently.

Over the centuries, Dr. John Dee had learned how to animate Golems and had also managed to create and control simulacra and homunculi. One of the earliest skills Machiavelli had mastered was the ability to control a tulpa. Lily had learned the same ability from Machiavelli. The process was surprisingly similar; all that really differed were the materials.

They could all bring the inanimate to life.

Now the Magician, the Italian, and the American stood side by side on the roof of Notre Dame and focused their wills.

And one by one, the gargoyles and grotesques of Notre Dame came to creaking life.

* * *

"They've spotted us," Machiavelli said about 5 minutes later. Huge beads of sweat rolled down his face, and his lips were blue with the effort of controlling the stone creatures. Lily was also sweating and feeling feint

"It is no matter," Dee said, peering over the edge. "They are powerless." In the square below, the five humans were standing in a circle as the crushing stone statues closed in.

"Then let us finish it," Machiavelli said through gritted teeth. "But remember, we need the children alive." He broke off as something slender and silver arced through the air before his face. "It's an arrow," he began in wonder, and then stopped and grunted as the arrow plunged deep into his thigh. His entire leg from hip to toe went dead. He staggered back and fell onto the cathedral roof, hands pressed against his leg. Surprisingly, there was no blood, but the pain was excruciating.

Lily knelt down by Machiavelli's side and bit her lip as she saw the wound

On the ground far below, at least half the creatures suddenly froze or toppled over. They crashed to the ground, and those behind tumbled over them. Rock shattered, weathered stone exploding to dust. But still the rest of the creatures pressed on, closing in.

Another dozen silver arrows arced up from below. They pinged and shattered harmlessly against the brickwork.

"Machiavelli!" Dee howled.

"I can't …" The pain in his leg was indescribable, and tears rolled down his cheeks. "I can't concentrate …"

"Lily!" Dee called, Lily concentrated harder and then called "I'm running out of Power!"

"Then I'll finish it myself."

"The boy and girl," Machiavelli said weakly. "We need them alive …"

"Not necessarily. I am a necromancer. I can reanimate their corpses."

"No!" Machiavelli and Lily screamed.

Dee ignored them. Focusing his extraordinary will, the Magician issued the gargoyles a single command. "Kill them. Kill them all."

The creatures surged forward.

And Lily could barely contain her joy when, soon after, the group of five were walking away.

On top of Notre Dame, Dee, Machiavelli and Lily watched as Flamel and the others picked their way through the smoking piles of masonry, heading in the direction of the bridge.

"We are in so much trouble," Machiavelli said through gritted teeth. The arrow had disappeared from his thigh, but his leg was still numb.

"We?" Dee said lightly. "This, all this, is entirely your fault, Niccolò. Or at least, that's what my report will say. And you know what will happen then, don't you?"

Machiavelli straightened and stood, leaning against the stonework, favoring his injured leg. "My report will differ."

"So will mine!" Lily snapped at Dee.

"No one will believe you," Dee said confidently, turning away. "Everyone knows you are the master of lies. And you Lily, while you might be spared, no one will believe you when you defend the Italian because it will be made clear that your desperately in love with him"

Machiavelli reached into his pocket and pulled out a small digital tape recorder. "Well then, it's lucky I have everything you said on tape." He tapped the recorder. "Voice activated. It recorded every word you spoke to me."

Dee stopped. He slowly turned to face the Italian and looked at the slender tape recorder. "Every word?" he asked.

"Every word." Machiavelli said grimly. "I think the Elders will believe my report."

Lily smirked at Dee.

Dee stared at the Italian for a heartbeat before nodding. "What do you want?"

Machiavelli nodded at the devastation below. His smile was terrifying. "Look at what the twins can do … and they're barely Awakened, and not even fully trained."

"What are you suggesting?" Dee asked.

"Between us, you and I have access to extraordinary resources and Lily has many contacts. Working together—rather than against one another—we should be able to find the twins, capture them and train them."

"Train them!"

Machiavelli's eyes started to glitter. "They are the twins of legend. 'The two that are one, the one that is all.' Once they've mastered all the elemental magics, they will be unstoppable." His smile turned feral. "Whoever controls them controls the world."

The Magician turned to squint across the square to where Flamel was just visible through the pall of dust and grit. "You think the Alchemyst knows this?"

Machiavelli's laugh was bitter. "Of course he knows. Why else do you think he's training them!"

Lily looked at where the group were and whispered, so low that neither man could hear her, and so she could barely hear herself "good luck Josh, I hope you find out what Flamel is keeping from you and your sister, and I hope for both your sakes, that your sister realizes that you can't trust the Flamel's… and I hope you realize you can't trust me or Niccolò either"

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alright, so we have reached the end of the Magician and we move into the Sorceress lots of fun! so review please!


	12. New Assignments

alright, chapter 12 up!

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Chapter 12: New Assignments

_The_ enormous dining room shimmered in the late-afternoon sunshine. Slanting sunbeams ran golden on polished wood panels and bounced off the waxed floor, sparking highlights from a full suit of armor standing in the corner and picking out spots of color from display cases of coins that traced more than two millennia of human history. One wall was entirely covered with masks and helmets from every age and continent, their empty eye sockets looking down over the room. The masks surrounded an oil painting by Santi di Tito that had been stolen from the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence centuries earlier. The painting that now hung in Florence was a perfect forgery. The center of the room was dominated by a huge scarred table that had once belonged to the Borgia family. Eighteen high-backed antique chairs were arranged around the time-stained table. Only three were occupied, and the table was bare except for a large black phone, which looked out of place in the antique-filled room.

Dr. John Dee sat on one side of the table. Dee was a small neat Englishman, pale-skinned and gray-eyed. He was wearing his customary charcoal three-piece suit, the only touch of color in the pattern of tiny gold crowns on his gray bow tie. He usually wore his iron gray hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, but it now hung loose around his shoulders, curling down to touch his triangular goatee. His dark-gloved hands rested lightly on the wooden table.

Niccolò Machiavelli sat facing John Dee. The physical difference between the two men was startling. While Dee was short and pale, Machiavelli was tall, his complexion deeply tanned, emphasizing the one trait both men shared: cold gray eyes. Machiavelli kept his snow-white hair short and had always been clean-shaven, and his tastes tended toward a more elegant style. His black suit and white silk shirt were clearly custom-made, and his deep crimson tie was woven through with threads of pure gold. It was his portrait on the wall behind him and he looked little older now than he had when it had been painted, more than five hundred years before. Niccolò Machiavelli had been born in 1469; technically he was fifty-eight years older than the Englishman. He had actually died the year Dee was born, in 1527. Both men were immortal, and they were two of the most powerful figures on the planet. They were both around 500 years older than the young woman sitting on Machiavelli's right.

Lily Johnson sat next to Niccolò Machiavelli and fiddled with the locket around her neck, in comparison too the two men, Lily looked like the opposite of both of them. Lily was taller than Dee, but shorter than Machiavelli, her complexion was darker than Dee's but lighter than Machiavelli's, her eyes were not grey like the men's her eyes were a haunting icy sapphire blue, her hair was Onyx black, and in a braid down her back, but the most startling difference was her clothing choices, while Machiavelli and Dee both wore suits that were clearly expensive, Lily wore a dark blue Mudd T-shirt, and Light Blue Lee Jeans with rips in them and Nike flip flops. Her locket was clearly a cheep metal that was gold plated. She looked completely out of place in the expensive room.

The two men, and the young woman had been sitting in the dining room of Machiavelli's grand town house off the Place du Canada in Paris for the past thirty minutes. In that time none of them had spoken a word. They had each received the same summons on their cell phones: the image of a worm swallowing its own tail—the Ouroborus—one of the oldest symbols of the Dark Elders. In the center of the circle was the number thirty. A few years ago they would have received such summonses by fax or mail, decades ago by telegram and messenger, and earlier still on scraps of paper and parchment, and they would have been given hours or days to prepare for a meeting. Now the summons came by phone and the response was measured in minutes.

Although they were expecting the call, they all jumped when the speakerphone in the center of the table buzzed. Machiavelli reached out to spin the phone around and check the caller ID before answering. An unusually long number beginning with 31415—he recognized it as a portion of pi—scrolled off the screen. When he hit the Answer button, static howled and crackled before dying away to a soft breezelike whisper.

_"We are disappointed."_ The voice on the phone spoke an archaic form of Latin that had last been used centuries before the time of Julius Caesar. _"Very disappointed."_ It was impossible to tell whether the voice was male or female, and at times it even sounded as if two people could be talking together.

Machiavelli was surprised; he had been expecting to hear his own Dark Elder master's scratchy voice—he'd never heard this speaker before. But Dee had. Although Dee's face remained impassive, the Italian watched as the muscles tightened in the English Magician's jaw and he straightened almost imperceptibly. So, here was Dee's mysterious Dark Elder master.

_"We were assured that all was in readiness … we were assured that Flamel would be captured and slain … we were assured that Perenelle would be disposed of and that the twins would be apprehended and delivered into our hands …."_

The voice trailed away into static.

_"And yet Flamel remains free …. Perenelle is no longer imprisoned in a cell, though she is trapped on the island. The twins have escaped. And we still do not have the complete Codex. We are disappointed,"_ the disembodied voice repeated.

Dee, Lily and Machiavelli looked at one another. People who disappointed the Dark Elders tended to disappear. An Elder master had the power to grant human subjects immortality, but it was a gift that could be withdrawn with a single touch. Depending on how long the human had been immortal, sudden and often catastrophic old age raced through the body, centuries of time aging and destroying flesh and organs. In a matter of heartbeats, a healthy-looking human could be reduced to a pile of leathery skin and powdered bones.

_"You have failed us,"_ the voices whispered.

Neither man, nor the girl broke the silence that followed, fully aware that the men's very long lives were now hanging by a thread and Lily's life and work for the Elders might be over. The men were both powerful and important, but neither was irreplaceable. And while Lily might be Juno's favorite, that wouldn't save her.

Static crackled and popped on the line, and then a new voice spoke. _"And yet, let me suggest that all is not lost."_

Centuries of practice kept Machiavelli's face expressionless. Here was the voice he'd been expecting, the voice of his Elder master, a figure who had briefly ruled Egypt more than three thousand years ago.

_"Let me suggest that we are closer now than we have ever been. We have cause for hope. We have confirmed, that the humani children are indeed the twins of legend; we have even seen some demonstration of their powers. The cursed Alchemyst and his Sorceress wife are trapped and dying. All we have to do is to wait, and time, our greatest friend, will take care of them for us. Scathach is lost and Hekate destroyed. And we have the Codex."_

_"But not all of it,"_ the male-female voice whispered. _"We still lack the final two pages."_

_"Agreed. But it is more than we have ever had. Certainly enough to begin the process of calling back the Elders from the most distant Shadowrealms."_

Machiavelli frowned, concentrating hard. Dee's Elder master was reputedly the most powerful of all the Elders, and yet here was his own master arguing and debating with him or her. The line crackled, and the male-female voice sounded almost petulant.

_"But we lack the Final Summoning. Without it, our brothers and sisters will not be able to take that last step from their Shadowrealms into this world."_

Machiavelli's master responded evenly. _"We should still be gathering our armies. Some of our brethren have ventured far from this earth; they have even gone beyond the Shadowrealms into the Otherworlds. It will take them many days to return. We_ _need to call them back now, draw them into the Shadowrealms that border this earth, so that when the time is right, a single step will take them into this world and we can move as one to reclaim the planet."_

Machiavelli looked at Dee and at Lily. The English Magician's head had titled slightly to one side, eyes half closed as he listened to the Elders. Almost as if he felt Machiavelli's gaze on him, Dee opened his eyes and raised his brows in a silent question. The Italian shook his head slightly; he had no idea what was happening. They both turned too Lily, Lily looked back and mouthed: _what on earth makes you think I know what the heck is going on?_

_"This is the time foreseen by Abraham when he first created the Codex,"_ Machiavelli's master continued. _"He had the Sight, he could see the curling strands of time. He foretold that this age would come—he called it the Time of the Turning, when order would be returned to the world. We have discovered the twins, we know the whereabouts of Flamel and the last two pages from the Codex. Once we have the pages we can use the twins' powers to fuel the Final Summoning."_

The line crackled with static, and in the background Machiavelli clearly heard a murmur of assent. He realized that there were others listening in on the line, and he wondered how many of the Dark Elders had gathered. He bit down hard on the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from smiling at the image of the Elders, in their assorted guises and aspects—human and inhuman, beast and monster—listening intently on cell phones. Machiavelli chose his moment when there was a break in the murmuring voices and spoke carefully, stripping all emotion from his voice, keeping it neutral and professional.

"Then can I suggest that you allow us to complete our tasks. Let us find Flamel and the twins." He knew he was playing a dangerous game now, but it was clear that there was dissension in the ranks of the Elders, and Machiavelli had always been expert at manipulating such situations. He had clearly heard the need in his master's voice. The Elders desperately wanted the twins and the Codex: without them, the rest of the Dark Elders would not be able to return to the earth. And at that instant he recognized that both he, Lily and Dee were still valuable assets. "The doctor, Miss Johnson and I have formulated a plan," he said, and then fell silent, waiting to see if they would take the bait.

_"Speak, humani,"_ the male-female voice rumbled.

Machiavelli folded his hands and said nothing. Dee's eyebrows shot up and he pointed at the phone. _Speak_, he mouthed. Lily looked confused and worried

_"Speak!"_ the voice snarled, static howling and popping.

"You are not my master," Machiavelli said very quietly. "You cannot command me."

Lily doubled over in the chair and smacked her hands over her mouth too keep herself from laughing.

There was a long hissing sound, like steam escaping. Machiavelli turned his head slightly, trying to identify the noise. Then he nodded: it was laughter. The other Elders were amused by his response. He had been correct; there was dissension in the ranks of the Elders, and though Dee's master might be all-powerful, that did not mean he was liked. Here was a weakness Machiavelli could exploit to his advantage.

Dee was staring at him, gray eyes wide with horror and maybe even admiration.

The line clicked, the ambient background noise changed and then Machiavelli's master spoke, amusement clearly audible in his gravelly voice. _"What do you propose? And be careful, humani,"_ he added. _"You too have failed us. We were assured that Flamel and the twins would not leave Paris."_

The Italian leaned toward the phone, his smile triumphant. "Master. Miss Johnson and I were instructed to do nothing until the English Magician arrived. Valuable time was lost. Flamel was able to contact allies, find shelter and rest." Machiavelli was watching Dee carefully as he spoke. He knew the Englishman had contacted his Elder master, and that master in turn had ordered Machiavelli's master to tell the Italian to do nothing until Dee arrived. Lily was snickering a little. "However," he pressed, having made his point, "this delay worked to our advantage. The boy was Awakened by an Elder loyal to us. We have some idea of the twins' powers and we know where they've gone." He could barely keep the smugness out of his voice. He looked at Dee sitting across the table and nodded quickly. The English Magician took the hint.

"They are in London," John Dee continued. "And Britain, more than any other land on this earth, is _our_ country," he stressed. "Unlike in Paris, we have allies there: Elders, Next Generation, immortals and humani servants who will aid us. And in England there are others, loyal to none but themselves, whose services can be bought. All of these resources can be directed to finding Flamel and the twins." He finished and leaned forward, staring intently at the phone, waiting for an answer.

The line clicked and went dead. Then an irritating busy signal filled the room.

Dee stared at the phone with a mixture of shock and anger. "Have we lost the connection or have they just hung up on us?"

Machiavelli hit the Speaker button, silencing the noise. "Now you know how I feel when you hang up on me," he said quietly.

Lily snickered again.

"What do we do now?" Dee demanded.

"We wait. I would imagine they are discussing our futures."

Dee folded his arms over his narrow chest. "They need us," he said, trying—and failing—to sound confident.

Lily outright snorted in harsh derisive laughter

Machiavelli's smile was bitter. "They use us. But they do not need us. I know of at least a dozen immortals in Paris alone who could do what I do."

"Well, yes, _you_ are replaceable," Dee said with a self-satisfied shrug. "But _I_ have spent a lifetime chasing Nicholas and Perenelle."

"You mean you've spent a lifetime failing to catch them," Machiavelli said, his voice neutral, and then added with a sly smile, "So close, and yet always so far."

"Your not anymore valuable than me and Niccolò, John, you might as well accept that before your pride takes a fall." Lily snorted

But any reply Dee was about to make was cut off when the phone rang.

_"This is our decision."_ It was Dee's Elder master speaking, the male-female voices blending together into one slightly discordant voice. _"The Magician will follow the Alchemyst and the twins to England. Your instructions are explicit: destroy Flamel, capture the twins and retrieve the two missing pages. Use whatever means necessary to achieve this objective; we have_ _associates in England who are indebted to us. We will call in those debts. And Doctor … if you fail us this time, then we will temporarily remove the gift of immortality and allow your humani body to age to its very limit … and then, at the moment before your death, we will make you immortal again."_ There was a rasp that might have been a chuckle or an indrawn breath. _"Think about how that will feel: your brilliant mind trapped in an ancient and feeble body, unable to see or hear clearly, unable to walk or move, in constant pain from a score of ailments. You will be forever ancient and yet undying. Fail us and this will be your destiny. We will trap you in this aged fleshy shell for an eternity."_

Dee nodded, swallowed hard and then said with as much confidence as he could muster, "I will not fail you."

_"And you, Niccolò …"_ Machiavelli's Elder master spoke. _"You will travel to the Americas. The Sorceress is loose on Alcatraz. Do whatever you must to secure the island."_

"But I have no contacts in San Francisco," Machiavelli protested quickly, "no allies. Europe has always been my domain."

_"which is why Lily will be going with you!" __this voice was new a feminine motherly voice, Lily had straightened up quickly at the voice, and Niccolò could guess that this was the infamous Juno. __"you will call upon your allies Lillian and you will bring the sorceress down, don't make the same mistakes that Dee and Machiavelli have,"_

_"I won't" Lily promised_

_"We have other agents all across the Americas. Even now they are moving westward to await your arrival. We will instruct one to guide and assist you. On Alcatraz, you will find an army of sorts sleeping in the cells, creatures the humani will recognize from their darkest nightmares and foulest myths. It was not our intention to use this army so soon, but events are moving quickly now, much faster than we anticipated. Soon it will be the Time of Litha, the summer solstice. At midsummer, the twins' auras_ _will be at their strongest and the barriers between this world and the myriad Shadowrealms at their weakest. It is our intention to reclaim the world of the humani on that day."_

Even Machiavelli was unable to keep his face expressionless. He looked at Dee and found that the Magician too was wide-eyed with shock. Both men had worked for the Dark Elders for centuries and had always known that they intended to return to the world they had once ruled. Still, it was startling to discover that after years of waiting and planning, it was about to happen in just over three weeks' time.

Dr. John Dee leaned closer to the phone. "Masters—and I know I speak for Machiavelli, and Miss Johnson, when I say this—we are delighted that the Time of the Turning is almost upon us and that you will soon return." He swallowed hard and took a quick breath. "But if you will allow me to caution you: the world you are returning to is not the world you left. The humani have technology, communications, weapons … they will resist," he added hesitantly.

_"Indeed they will, Doctor,"_ Machiavelli's master said. _"So we will give the humani something to focus on, something to use up their resources and consume their attention. Niccolò,"_ the voice continued, _"when you have retaken Alcatraz, rouse the monsters in the cells and then loose them on the city of San Francisco. The destruction and terror will be indescribable. And when the city is a smoking ruin, allow the creatures to wander as they will. They will ravage across America. Mankind has always been fearful of the dark: we will remind him why. There are similar caches of creatures already hidden on every continent; they will be released at the same time. The world will_ _quickly dissolve into madness and chaos. Entire armies will be wiped out, so that there will be none to stand against us when we return. And what will be our first action? Why, we will destroy the monsters and be hailed by the humani as their saviors."_

"And these beasts are in Alcatraz's cells?" Machiavelli asked, appalled. "How do I rouse them?"

_"You will be given instructions when you reach the Americas. But first, you have to defeat Perenelle Flamel."_

"How do we know she is still there? If she has escaped her cell, surely she will have fled the island?" The Italian was aware that his heart was suddenly pounding; three hundred years ago he had sworn vengeance on the Sorceress. Was he now about to be given an opportunity for revenge?

_"She is still on the island. She has released Areop-Enap, the Old Spider. It is a dangerous foe, but not invincible. We have taken steps to neutralize it and ensure that Perenelle will remain there until you arrive. And Niccolò"_—the Elder's voice turned hard and ugly—_"do not repeat Dee's mistake."_

The Magician straightened.

_"Do not attempt to capture or imprison Perenelle. Do not talk to her, bargain with her or try to reason with her. Kill her on sight. The Sorceress is infinitely more dangerous than the Alchemyst._


	13. Secrets & Mysteries

this chapter is mostly Machiavelli with little mentions of Lily, but i really wanted to put this chapter in!

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Chapter 13: Secrets & Mysteries

Standing framed in the doorway of his impressive town house, Niccolò Machiavelli watched Dr. John Dee climb into the sleek black limousine. The smartly dressed driver closed the door, nodded to Machiavelli, then climbed into the driver's seat. A moment later the car pulled away from the curb, and, as the Italian had guessed, Dee neither looked back nor waved. Machiavelli's stone gray eyes followed the car as it merged into the evening traffic. It was just about to pull out from the Place du Canada when an anonymous-looking Renault took up a position three cars behind it. Machiavelli knew the Renault would follow Dee's car for three blocks and then be replaced by a second and then a third car. Cameras mounted on the dashboard would relay live pictures to Machiavelli's computer. He would have Dee followed every moment he remained in Paris. His instincts, honed by centuries of survival, were warning him that Dee was up to something. The English Magician had been far too eager to leave, refusing Machiavelli's offer of a bed for the night, claiming he had to get to England immediately and resume the search for Flamel.

It took an effort to push closed the heavy hall door with its thick bulletproof glass, and Machiavelli suddenly realized that it was little things like this that made him miss Dagon.

Dagon had been with him for almost four hundred years, ever since Machiavelli had found him, injured and close to death, in the Grotta Azzurra on the Isle of Capri. He'd nursed Dagon back to health, and in return the creature had become his manservant and secretary, his bodyguard and, ultimately, his friend. They had traveled the world and had even ventured into some of the safer Shadowrealms together. Dagon had shown him wonders, and he in turn had introduced the creature to art and music. Despite his brutish appearance, Dagon had had a voice of extraordinary beauty and purity. It was only in the latter half of the twentieth century, when Machiavelli had first heard the haunting notes of whale songs, that he had recognized the sounds the creature was capable of making.

Machiavelli had allowed no one to get close to him for almost half a millennium. He'd been in his early thirties when he'd married Marietta Corsini in 1502, and over the next twenty-five years they'd had six children together. But when he had become immortal, he'd been forced to "die" to conceal the truth that he would never age. The Dark Elder who had made him immortal hadn't told him at the time that such a ruse would be necessary. Leaving Marietta and the children had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done, but he'd looked out for them for the remainder of their lives. He'd also watched them age, sicken and perish: this was the dark side of the gift of immortality. When Marietta finally died, he'd attended her funeral in disguise and then visited her grave in the dead of night to pay his last respects and swear an oath that he would always honor his marriage vows and never remarry. He'd kept that promise. Even now that he'd met Lily he wasn't married, but he had a feeling that if he and Lily survived everything, he would break his promise to his wife.

Machiavelli strode down a wood-paneled corridor and pressed his palm against a bronze bust of Cesare Borgia on a small circular table. _"Dell'arte della guerra,"_ he said aloud, voice echoing in the empty hallway. There was a click and a section of the wall slid back to reveal Niccolò's private office. When he stepped into the room, the door hissed shut and recessed lights came to glowing life. He'd had a room like this—a private, secret place—in every home he'd ever lived in. This was his domain. During their life together, Marietta hadn't been allowed access to his private chambers in any of their homes, and over the centuries even Dagon had never stepped into one. Even Lily had never been in here, but she had her own room which Machiavelli could never enter. But he knew what the room looked like, it was an exact replica of her bedroom from the home she had lived in before her parents had died. In years past his private room would have been accessed via secret passages and protected with spiked and bladed traps, and later with many locks and intricate hand-carved keys. Now, in the twenty-first century, it was safe within a bombproof casing and secured with palm-and voice-print technology.

The room was a perfect soundproof cube. There were no windows, and two walls were covered with books he had collected down through the centuries. Leather bindings stood beside dusty buckram and yellowed vellum were shelved side by side. Rolled parchment and stitched hide rested alongside brightly colored modern paperbacks. And all the books, in one way or another, had to do with the Elders. Absently, he straightened a four-thousand-year-old Akkadian tablet, pushing it back on top of a printout from a mythology Web site. Whereas Flamel was obsessed with preventing the Dark Elders from returning to this world and Dee was equally determined that the world return to its masters, Machiavelli focused on discovering the truth behind the enigmatic rulers of the ancient earth. One of the lessons he had learned in the court of the Medici was that power came from knowledge, so he had become determined to discover the Elders' secrets.

The wall facing the doorway was completely taken up with a series of computer screens. Machiavelli hit a button and they all lit up, each one showing a different image. There were assorted views of Paris and images from a dozen of the world's capitals, and a quartet of screens carried live national and international news from around the world. One screen, larger than the rest, showed a moving grainy gray image. Machiavelli sat down in a high-backed leather chair and stared at the screen, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

It was a live video feed from the car trailing Dee.

Machiavelli ignored the black limousine in the center of the picture and concentrated on the streets. Where was Dee going?

The Magician had told him that he was heading to the airport, where his private jet was being refueled. He was going to fly to England and resume the hunt for the Alchemyst. The corners of Machiavelli's mouth curled in a smile. Dee was clearly not heading toward the airport; he was heading back into the city. The Italian's instincts had been correct: the Magician was up to something.

Keeping one eye on the screen, Machiavelli opened his laptop, powered it on and ran his index finger through the integrated fingerprint reader. The machine completed the boot sequence. If he had used any other finger to log on, a destructive virus would have overwritten the entire hard drive.

He quickly read through the encrypted e-mails coming in from his London-based agents and spies. Another ironic smile twisted his thin lips; the news was not good. In spite of everything Dee had done, Flamel and the twins had disappeared, and the trio of Genii Cucullati the Magician had sent after them had been discovered in a side street close to the train station. They were all in a deep coma, and the Italian suspected that it would be 366 days before they awoke. It seemed the English doctor had underestimated the Alchemyst yet again.

Machiavelli sat back in the chair and put his hands together, almost in an attitude of prayer. The tips of his index fingers pressed against his lips. He had always known that the image Flamel projected—that of a bumbling, slightly absent-minded, vaguely eccentric old fool—was a smokescreen. Nicholas and Perenelle had survived everything the Dark Elders and Dee had thrown at them over the centuries by a combination of cunning, skill, arcane knowledge and a healthy dose of luck. Machiavelli believed that Flamel was intelligent, dangerous and completely ruthless.

However, whereas Nicholas was wily, even he admitted that Perenelle was far cleverer than he was. Machiavelli's smile faltered: this was the woman he had been sent to kill, the woman his own Dark Elder master had described as being infinitely more dangerous than the Alchemyst. He sighed. Killing someone as powerful as the Sorceress was not going to be easy. But he had absolutely no doubt that he could do it. He had failed once before, but that was because he'd made the same grave error Dee had just made: he had underestimated his enemy.

This time Machiavelli would be ready for the Sorceress. This time he _would_ kill her.

But first he had to get to America. Machiavelli's fingers flew across the keys as he logged on to a travel Web site. Unlike Dee, who preferred to use his private jet, Machiavelli had decided to take a commercial flight to America. He could use one of the French government jets, but that would attract attention, and Machiavelli had always preferred to work behind the scenes.

He needed a direct flight to San Francisco. His options were limited, but there was a nonstop out of Paris at 10:15 a.m. the following morning. The flight was just over eleven hours long, but the nine-hour time difference meant that he would arrive on the West Coast at around 12:30 p.m. local time.

The Air France flight had no First Class seats so he booked l'Espace Affaires—Business Class. It was certainly appropriate. This trip was, after all, business. Machiavelli clicked forward through his purchase and chose seats 4A and 4B. It was at the back of the Business Class cabin, but when the plane landed and the door opened, he, and Lily would be first off. When the e-mail confirmation popped into his in-box, he forwarded a copy of their flight details to the Dark Elders' principal agent on the West Coast of America: the immortal human Henry McCarty.

Machiavelli had researched the man thoroughly. During his brief life McCarty had been better known as William H. Bonney or Billy the Kid. Born in 1859, immortal at twenty-two years old—or dead, according to the history books. Machiavelli shook his head in wonder. It was very unusual for a human to become immortal at such an early age; most of the immortals he'd encountered through the centuries were older. Despite years of research, Machiavelli still had no idea why certain people were chosen by the Elders to receive the gift. There had to be a pattern or a reason, but he had come across kings, princes, vagabonds and thieves who had nothing in common except that they had been granted immortality—and therefore were in the employ of the Elders. Less than a handful had become immortal before they were in their forties. So, to have been granted immortality at twenty-two, Billy the Kid must be very special indeed.

He was a little worried about meeting Billy, after all this was a man who looked at Lily like she was a little sister, she and Billy still had a close relationship even though she stayed in Paris.

A flash of movement caught his attention and Machiavelli looked up at the screen tracking Dee.

The cars had stopped, and even as Machiavelli watched, Dee climbed out of the back of the limousine without giving the driver time to scuttle around to open the door. The Magician walked away from the limousine, then paused and turned to look back at the car behind him. In the instant when Dee gazed directly into the camera, Machiavelli realized he'd known he was being followed. The Magician smiled, then disappeared out of frame, and the Italian hit a speed dial that connected him with the driver of the second car. "Status?" he snapped. There was no need to identify himself.

"We've stopped, sir. The subject has just exited the vehicle."

"Where?"

"We're on the Pont au Double. The subject is heading for Notre Dame."

"Notre Dame!" Machiavelli said softly. Only yesterday, he had stood on the roof of the great cathedral with Dee, and together, they had brought the gargoyles and grotesques to terrifying life and watched them crawl down the wall to where Flamel, the twins, Saint-Germain and a mysterious woman had crouched on the parvis in front of the cathedral. The animated stone creatures should have crushed the humans, but the attack had not gone according to plan.

Flamel and his companions had fought back. Absently, the Italian rubbed his leg where he'd been struck by a silver arrow of pure auric energy. A star-shaped black bruise covered his thigh from knee to hip, and he knew he would be walking with a limp for weeks. It had been the twins who had saved them, the twins who had destroyed the gargoyles and grotesques of Notre Dame.

Machiavelli had stood in silence, seeing for himself the evidence that Sophie and Josh were indeed the twins of legend. It had been an amazing demonstration of power. Although the girl had learned only the very basics in two of the elemental magics—Wind and Fire—it was obvious that her natural skill was extraordinary. And when the twins had combined their auras to heighten and intensify the girl's powers, he had realized that Sophie and Josh Newman were truly exceptional.

Machiavelli's public relations department had released the story that the destruction of the cathedral's stonework was caused by acid rain and global warming. And even now teams of archaeologists and students from the universities of Paris were working to clear the parvis. The square was sealed off behind strips of tape and metal barricades.

The Italian stared hard at the screen, but it revealed nothing. Why had Dee gone back to that place?

"Should we follow?" The driver's voice crackled with static.

"Yes," Machiavelli said quickly. "Follow, but do not approach and do not apprehend. Keep this line open."

"Yes, sir."

Machiavelli waited impatiently, eyes fixed on the static image of the car on the screen. The driver spoke urgently to the men in the other two cars, ordering them to take up positions by the side entrances to the great cathedral. The main doors, which opened out onto the square, were closed. The immortal watched as the driver passed in front of the dashboard camera and disappeared off to the left, phone pressed to his ear. "He's heading for the cathedral," the driver said breathlessly. "He's gone inside. There's no way out," he added quickly.

The ambient sound changed as the man ran indoors. Footsteps echoed, doors slammed; then Machiavelli heard the tinny sounds of excited voices. He listened to the driver grow louder, more demanding, more insistent, but he could not make out the words. Moments later, the driver came back on the phone. "Sir: there are some architects and planners here to examine the damage. The subject would have had to come right past them, but they say no one has entered the cathedral in the last hour." A note of fear crept into the man's voice; Machiavelli's reputation for ruthlessness was legendary, and no one wanted to report a failure. "I know it's impossible, but I think … we—we've lost him." The man's voice faltered. "I … I have no idea how, but it looks like … he's not in the cathedral. We'll seal off the building and get some more men for a search …."

"Negative. Let him go. Return to base," Machiavelli said very softly, and hung up. He knew where Dee was. The Magician wasn't in the cathedral. He was _under_ it. He'd returned to the catacombs beneath the city. But the only thing in the ancient City of the Dead was the Elder Mars Ultor.

And yesterday, Dee had entombed the Elder in bone.


	14. Phone Calls

Disclaimer: i only own Lily!

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Chapter 14: Phone Calls

"I was told this Perenelle woman was trapped, weak, defenseless," Billy the Kid said firmly into the narrow Bluetooth microphone that ran along the line of his unshaven jaw. "That's just not true." Through the Thunderbird's bug-spattered windshield, he could clearly see Alcatraz across the bay. "And I think we have a problem. A big problem."

Half a world away, Niccolò Machiavelli listened carefully to the voice on the speakerphone as he packed his overnight bag. He couldn't remember the last time he had packed for himself; Dagon had always taken care of that. "And why are you calling me?" Machiavelli asked. He packed a third pair of handmade shoes, then decided two pairs were enough and took them out of the case again.

"I'll be straight with you," Billy admitted reluctantly. "I didn't think I needed you. I was sure I'd be able to take care of the woman myself."

"A mistake that has cost many their lives," Machiavelli mumbled in Italian; then he reverted to English. "And what changed your mind?"

"A few minutes ago, something happened on Alcatraz. Something odd … something powerful."

"How do you know? You're not on the island."

The Italian clearly heard the awe in the American immortal's voice. "I felt it—from three miles away!"

Machiavelli straightened. "When? When exactly?" he demanded, checking his watch. Crossing the room, he opened his laptop and ran his index finger across the fingerprint reader to bring it back to life. He'd received a dozen encrypted e-mails from his spies in London, reporting that something extraordinary had happened. The e-mails had come in at 8:45 p.m., just over a quarter of an hour ago.

"Fifteen minutes ago," Billy said.

"Tell me exactly what happened," Machiavelli said. He pressed a button on the side of his phone that started to record the conversation.

Billy the Kid climbed out of the car and raised a pair of battered military green binoculars to his deep blue eyes. He had parked close to the Golden Gate Bridge; ahead and to his right the distant island looked calm and peaceful, basking under a cloudless noon sky, but he knew that the image was deceptive. He frowned, trying to remember precisely what had happened. "It was … it was like an aura igniting," he explained. "But powerful, more powerful than any I've ever encountered in my life."

Machiavelli's voice was surprisingly clear on the transatlantic line. "A powerful aura …"

"Very powerful."

"Was there an odor?"

Billy hesitated, instinctively breathing in, but he smelled only the ever-present salt of the sea and the bitter tang of pollution. He shook his head, then, realizing that Machiavelli could not see him, spoke. "If there was, I don't remember. No, I'm sure there wasn't."

"How did you experience it?"

"It was cold, so cold. And it sparked my own aura. For a few minutes I had no control." Billy's voice shook a little. "I thought I was going to burn up."

"Anything else?" Machiavelli asked, keeping his voice calm, willing the American to focus. Every immortal human knew that an uncontrolled aura could completely consume the human body it wrapped around; the process was known as spontaneous human combustion. "Tell me."

"Lucky I was parked when it happened; if I'd been driving I would have wrecked the car. I went completely blind and totally deaf. Couldn't even hear my own heartbeat. And when I could hear again, it sounded as if every dog in the city was howling. All the birds were screaming too."

"Perhaps it was the sphinx slaying the Sorceress," the Italian murmured, and Billy frowned, his sensitive ears picking up what might have been a note of regret in the man's voice. "I understand she has been given permission to kill the woman."

"That's what I thought too," Billy said. "I've got a scrying bowl. Anasazi pottery, very rare, very powerful."

"The best, I'm told," Machiavelli agreed.

"When I got my aura back under control, I immediately tried to scry the island. I got a glimpse, just a quick image of the Sorceress standing against a wall in the exercise yard. She was sunning herself, as calm as you please. And then—and I know this is impossible—she opened her eyes and lifted her face to look up … and I swear she saw me."

"It may well be possible," Machiavelli murmured. "No one knows the extent of the Sorceress's powers. And then …?"

"The liquid in my scrying bowl froze into a solid chunk of ice." The Kid looked down onto the passenger seat, where the fragments of the ancient bowl lay wrapped in the morning's newspaper. "It shattered," he said, a note of despair in his voice. "I've had that bowl a long time." And then his voice hardened. "The Sorceress is still alive, but I can't sense the sphinx. I think Perenelle has killed her," he said, in awe.

"That too may be possible," Machiavelli said slowly. "Bnut it is unlikely. Let us not jump ahead. All we know for certain is that the Sorceress is still alive."

The Kid drew in a deep breath. "I thought I could take Perenelle Flamel on my own; now I know I can't. If you have any special European magic or spells, then it's time to bring them." Billy the Kid laughed, but there was nothing humorous in the sound. "We're only going to get one chance to kill this Sorceress; if we fail, then we won't be leaving the Rock alive."

Niccolò Machiavelli found himself nodding in agreement. He wondered if the American knew that the Morrigan had also gone missing. But what the Kid could not know was that at the precise moment the aura had been pulsing out from the island, a similar energy had blinked to life in North London. Machiavelli quickly skimmed the e-mails he'd received; they were all reporting on what had to be an incredibly powerful aura bursting to life.

_… more powerful than any I have ever encountered, before …_

_… comparable to an Elder's aura …_

_… reports of auras spontaneously flaring on Hampstead Heath and Camden Road and in Highgate Cemetery …_

Interestingly, two e-mails reported the distinctive odor of mint.

Flamel's signature.

Machiavelli shook his head in admiration. The Alchemyst must have connected with Perenelle. Scrying was relatively simple, and while it usually worked best over short distances, the Flamels had married in 1350, and they had lived together for more than 650 years. The connection between them was very strong, and it stood to reason that they should be able to make that connection over thousands of miles. But scrying should not have activated Flamel's and Perenelle's auras in such a dramatic way. Unless … unless Perenelle had been in danger and the Alchemyst had fed her aura with his own. Machiavelli frowned. But Nicholas was weakening; that process should have—would have—killed him.

The twins!

Niccolò Machiavelli shook his head in disgust. He must be getting slow in his old age, he thought. It had to be connected to the twins. He had seen them work together at Notre Dame to defeat the gargoyles. They must have given Flamel some of their strength, and he, in turn, had somehow managed to connect to Alcatraz and Perenelle. That was why the aura's signature was so strong.

"Why did you contact me?" Machiavelli wondered aloud.

"You weren't my first call," the Kid admitted. "But I can't get in touch with my master. I thought I should warn you … and I hoped that maybe you had some way of defeating this Perenelle Flamel. Have you ever met her?"

"Yes." Machiavelli smiled bitterly, remembering. "Just the once. A long time ago: in the year 1669. Dee had lost track of the Flamels after the Great Fire in London, and they had fled to continental Europe. I was holidaying in Sicily when I spotted them entirely by chance. Nicholas was ill, laid low with food poisoning, and I ensured that the local physician added some sleeping potion to his medicine. In my arrogance I thought I could defeat Perenelle first and then go after the Alchemyst." The Italian held his left hand up to the light. A fine tracery of scars was still visible across his flesh, and there were others on his shoulders and back. "We fought for an entire day—her sorcery against my magic and alchemy …." His voice trailed away into silence.

"What happened?" Billy asked eventually.

"The energies we released caused Mount Etna to erupt. I almost died on the island that day."

Billy the Kid lowered the binoculars, then turned his back to the bay and sat down on a low stone wall. He stared at his battered cowboy boots; the leather was scuffed and torn, almost worn through in places. It was time to get a new pair, but that meant driving down to a shoemaker he knew in New Mexico, who still crafted boots and shoes to the traditional pattern. Billy had some friends in Albuquerque and Las Cruces, others in Silver City, where he'd grown up, and Fort Sumner, where Pat Garrett had shot him down.

"I could raise a gang," he said slowly. He expected the Italian to object and was surprised when he heard nothing. "It would be just like in the old days. I know some immortals—a couple of cowboys, a Spanish conquistador and two great Apache warriors—who are loyal to us. Maybe if we all attacked the island together …"

"It is a good idea, but you would probably be condemning your friends to death," Machiavelli said. "There is another way." The line crackled. "There is an army on the island—an army of monsters. I think that rather than attacking Perenelle, we should simply awaken the slumbering beasts. Many have slept under enchantment for a month or more; they will be hungry … and will go in search of the nearest warm-blooded meal: Madame Perenelle."

Billy the Kid nodded, and then a thought struck him. "Hey, but won't we be on the island too?"

"Trust me," Machiavelli said. "Once we awaken the sleeping army, we will not be hanging around. I will see you tomorrow at twelve-thirty p.m. local time, when my plane lands. If everything goes according to plan, Perenelle will not live to see out the day."

Billy soon hung up with Machiavelli and called Lily, the minute Lily picked up the phone Billy started talking, they never bothered with greetings, never had.

"I don't know whether to tell you that you have good taste in men or not" Billy chuckled.

Lily giggled and put a black skirt in her suitcase. "Didn't you just get off the phone with him?"

Billy snorted "and that's supposed to tell me whether or not he's good enough for you?"

Lily smiled, with Billy she was able to be herself and speak openly. She could tell him he was being stupid and he would listen, and visa versa, many of their mutual friends said they would have made a good couple, but both of them always blanched at the idea, sure they loved each other, but not like THAT!

"oh forgive me Mr. Kid, I should never have come to that conclusion, after all its not like you judged my other boyfriend like that!"

Billy had talked her out of being with her last boyfriend and she was glad he had.

"He was a male supermodel with nothing upstairs" Billy reminded her, a grin in his voice. He paused then and said "I wasn't sure I would need you both here to help me kill the sorceress"

"Idiot!" Lily stated flatly.

"oh don't Lily, I don't need it, your boyfriend already told me, much kinder than you ever would too"

Lily sighed "did you do something stupid?"

Billy sighed as well "no mom!" he said to taunt her.

Lilly rolled her eyes "what happened?"

"I was scrying on her and she broke my bowl!" Billy said like a child

Lily burst out laughing and then she went under her bed and pulled out a package and put it into her carry on. "oh you poor baby, what happened, were you watching her strip?" Lily snickered evily

Billy groaned "no I wasn't! anyway, 15 minutes ago there was a powerful aura ignition, at least that's what it felt like, I thought my aura would burn me up, from three miles away!"

Lily straightened "did you tell Niccolò?"

Billy sounded surprised by her seriousness "yeah I told him, I also told him that I was told that the sorceress was weak and that it simply wasn't true.

Lily snorted "when it comes to the sorceress, never believe what you hear"

Billy sighed "I'll see you when you get here tomorrow." He said with a smile

Lily smiled as well "see you then Billy"


	15. The Latest Update

once again, i own only Lily

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Chapter 15: The Latest Update

Niccolò Machiavelli sat back in his chair and focused on the largest of the high-definition LCD screens on the wall before him. He was watching the English satellite news service Sky News. The two a.m. headlines showed an aerial shot of a fire raging through an industrial area. The line of text crawling across the bottom of the screen announced that the fire was in a car yard in North London. Machiavelli had seen enough castle fortifications in his time to recognize the design, even though this one was made of cars rather than slabs of stone. The black outline of a moat was still clearly visible, gray smoke curling from it.

Machiavelli grinned as he reached for the remote control and brought up the volume. Then he turned to Lily, who was sitting on a recliner with her legs over one arm and her back against the other, and reading her kindle. "Lil?" he said gently, she looked up and then looked at the T.V. when he motioned to it, she looked at it and her jaw dropped.

"What happened and where is that?" On a separate screen Machiavelli activated his encrypted database of Elders, Next Generation and immortals and typed in the location in North London. Two names immediately popped up: Palamedes, the Saracen Knight, and the Bard, William Shakespeare.

Machiavelli scanned both files: Shakespeare had been Dee's apprentice for years, until he'd suddenly turned against the Magician. He was immortal, though how he'd become so was a mystery, since he was associated with no known Elder. Palamedes was an enigma. A warrior-prince of Babylon, he'd fought with Arthur and had been there at the end, when the king had been killed. Again, there was no record of who had made him immortal, and traditionally the Saracen Knight had remained neutral in the wars between the Elders and the Dark Elders. "that is William Shakespeare and Palamedes current residence. As for what happened, your guess is as good as mine"

Machiavelli had never met either immortal, though he had known about them for generations and had longed to meet the Bard.

Lily on the other hand… "Palamedes and William?" her voice was surprised. Lily had had to go to London once for a mission, she had talked with Palamedes because he had been her cab driver, that was where she had met the Shadow for the first time and had gotten into the fight, she had never told him what exactly happened or what her mission had been, she never did, but she had been badly hurt and had passed out in the streets before she could get back to her hotel, the Bard had found her and took her to one of his multiple properties and had gotten her well enough for her to go back to Paris.

Machiavelli nodded and examined a grainy photograph of the man identified as William Shakespeare. Taken with a telephoto lens, it showed a rather ordinary-looking man dressed in stained blue overalls, bending over the engine of a car, a scattering of tools and car parts by his feet. Two dogs were visible in the background, and the photography had given both dogs red eyes. The second photograph was higher resolution. It showed a huge dark-skinned man leaning against the side of a gleaming London taxi, drinking tea from a white paper cup. The wheel of the London Eye was just visible in the background.

A male reporter's voice filled the room. _"… raging for the past two hours in this car yard. At this time, no bodies have been removed from the scene, and officers do not expect to find any. Officials have expressed concern because of the huge amount of combustible material in the area, and firemen are using breathing apparatuses to enter the yard. There is a fear that if the stacked tires start to burn, they will release noxious gases. There is some consolation, however, that in this run-down part of London, most of the houses are abandoned and derelict …."_

Machiavelli hit the Mute button. Leaning back in his leather chair, he ran his hands over his close-cropped white hair, hearing it rasp in the silence even Lily didn't say anything. So, had Dee killed the Alchemyst and captured the twins?

The reporter appeared on-screen holding a handful of what looked like flint arrowheads, and Machiavelli almost fell off the chair in his haste to turn on the sound surprising Lily.

_"… and bizarrely found hundreds of what look like flint arrowheads."_ The camera panned around and showed broken arrows and spears scattered all over the ground. Machiavelli recognized the stubby lengths of crossbow bolts.

Well, if Dee _had_ captured the twins, it hadn't been without a fight.

Machiavelli's cell phone buzzed, startling him and Lily. Pulling it out of his inner pocket, he stared at the screen, immediately recognizing the overlong number and impossible area code. He took a deep breath before answering. "Yes?"

_"Dee has failed."_ Machiavelli's Elder's voice was little more than a thready whisper. He spoke in Late Egyptian, the language used in the New Kingdom over three thousand years ago.

Machiavelli responded in the formal Italian of his youth. "I'm watching the news. I see there's a fire in London; I know that location is associated with two neutral immortals. I assume there is some connection to the two events."

_"Flamel and the twins were there. They escaped."_

"It looks like the location was defended; the television report is showing evidence of a fight—arrows, spears and crossbow bolts. Perhaps we should have given the English Magician more resources," Machiavelli suggested carefully looking at Lily who rolled her eyes, in Lily's opinion you could give Dee five of the greatest armys in the world and he still wouldn't succeed.

_"Bastet was there."_

Machiavelli kept his face impassive; he despised the cat-headed goddess but knew she was close to his Elder master. Lily on the other hand smirked and stifled a giggle, she was finding the idea of Dee failing in front of an Elder amusing

_"And Cernunnos was tasked with helping the Magician."_

Machiavelli came slowly to his feet. "The Archon?" he asked, struggling to keep the shock out of his voice. Lily's eyes were wide with both horror and shock, gone was the amusement at Dee's failure

_"And the Archon brought the Wild Hunt. I did not authorize this; none of us did. We do not want the Archons back in this world."_

"Who did?"

_"The others,"_ the voice said shortly. _"Dee's masters and their supporters." _

_"This could work to our advantage; now that the Magician has failed, they must order his destruction." __Juno's voice added._

Machiavelli placed the phone on the table and hit the Speaker button, if Juno was talking as well then Lily needed to be a part of the conversation. Straightening his suit jacket, he folded his arms across his chest and looked at the wall of television and computer screens. Most of the news channels had started to show video of the fire in North London. "Dee is no fool, he must know that he is in danger."

_"He does."_

Machiavelli placed himself in Dee's position, wondering what he would do if the roles were reversed. "He knows he has to capture the twins and those pages," he said decisively. "It is the only way to get back into his Elders' good graces. He will be desperate."

Lily smirked and said "And desperate men do stupid things."

The reporter was talking to an excitable bearded man, who was holding up one of the spearheads and waving it around.

"What do you want us to do?" Machiavelli asked.

_"Is there any way you can help us locate Flamel and the twins in England before Dee does?" __Juno asked softly_

"I do not see how …," Machiavelli began.

_"Why is Flamel in London? Why risk bringing the twins into the heart of Dee's empire? We know he is trying to train the twins. So, who—amongst the Elders, Next Generation or immortals—could he be planning on meeting?" __Niccolòs' master again. _

"It could be anyone." Machiavelli blinked in surprise. Not taking his eyes off the TV screens, he continued, "I am head of the French secret service. How would I know who is even in London?" He was pleased that his voice remained neutral and calm.

_"Surely the information is in your database?"_ his elder asked, and the Italian was sure he could _hear_ the smile in the comment.

"My database?" he asked carefully, looking at Lily with narrowed eyes. Lily shook her head emphatically

_"Yes, your secret database."__ Juno said smugly __"the one that both you and Lily have been keeping secret"_

Machiavelli sighed. "Obviously not that secret. How many know about it?" he wondered aloud.

_"The Magician knows,"_ the voice said, _"and he told his masters … and I … well, let us say I discovered it from them."_

_"And I discovered it from your master Machiavelli"__ Juno said in a falsely sugary sweet voice __"don't worry, Lily would never betray your secrets to me."_

Machiavelli kept his face carefully neutral, just in case his master could actually see him. He had always known about the different factions within the Dark Elders. He wasn't surprised. The Dark Elders had once been rulers, and where there were rulers, there were always others waiting, plotting, planning to take over. This was the type of politics Machiavelli understood and excelled in, but which bored Lily silly.

The Italian sat down and rested his fingers on the keyboard. "What do you want to know?" he asked with a sigh.

_"London belongs to the Magician. But Flamel has the two that are one, and both have been Awakened. The girl knows Air_ _and Fire, the boy knows nothing. Who, in London, has mastery of any of the elemental magics and, more importantly, would be sympathetic enough to Flamel and his cause to train the twins?"_

"Surely you have other means of discovering this?" Machiavelli asked, fingers moving over the wafer-thin keyboard.

_"Of course."__ Juno said calmly_

Machiavelli and Lily understood. Their Elders did not want the others to know they were looking for the information. This brought up a question that Machiavelli had been wondering for some time, what was the connection between his Elder and Juno? A screen of names, some with attached photographs, appeared: Elders in London with control over one or more of the elemental magics. "There are twelve Elders in London," he said

"And they are all loyal to us." Lily added

_"What about Next Generation?"_

Sixteen names appeared on the screen. Machiavelli checked their allegiances and again shook his head. "All loyal to us," he repeated.

"Few who side against us choose to live in England, though there are some in Scotland and one in Ireland." Lily said calmly

_"Try immortal humans."_

Machiavelli's fingers danced across the keys and half a screen of names appeared. "There are immortal humans scattered all across England, Wales and Scotland …," he said, fingers moving on the keyboard as he narrowed the search.

"But only five in London." Lily whispered, knowing that the two elders would hear her.

_"Who are they?"__ Juno asked._

"Shakespeare and Palamedes …"

_"Shakespeare has disappeared, possibly dead in the fire in London,"_ Machiavelli's master said immediately, _"and Palamedes_ _was seen with the Alchemyst. Neither has mastery of an elemental magic. Who else?"_

"Baybars the Mamluk …" Lily said.

_"Friend of Palamedes and no friend to us. He has no knowledge of the elemental magics."__ Juno replied coolly._

"Virginia Dare …" Lily read aloud.

_"Dangerous, deadly and loyal to none but herself. Her master is dead; I believe she may have killed him. She is a Mistress of Air, but she has no love for Flamel and has fought alongside Dee in the past. Flamel will not go to her."__ Machiavelli's master stated._

Machiavelli looked at the final name blinking on the screen. "And then there is Gilgamesh."

_"The king,"_ Machiavelli's master sighed, _"who knows all the magics, but has no power to use them. Of course."_

"Where do his loyalties lie?" Machiavelli wondered aloud. "His name is not associated with any Elder."

_"Abraham the Mage, the creator of the Codex, is responsible for Gilgamesh's immortality." __Juno stated icily_

_"I believe the process was flawed. It fractured his mind, and the centuries have made him both mad and forgetful. He might teach the twins, though he could just as easily refuse. Do you have an address?"__ Machiavelli's elder asked._

"No fixed abode," Machiavelli said. "Looks like he's living on the streets. I have a note here that he is usually to be found sleeping in the park close to the Buxton Monument, which is in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament. If Flamel and the twins were at that car yard in North London, it will take them some time to get across the city."

_"My spy reported that a black vehicle left that location at high speed." __Machiavelli's master said._

Machiavelli looked up at the photo of Palamedes standing alongside a black London cab. He scrolled down until he found the license plate. "The English capital has more traffic and security cameras than any other city in Europe," he said absently. "Even more than Paris. However, they use the same traffic monitoring system that we use here." Two of the screens turned black, and then short lines of code started to appear as Machiavelli hacked into London's traffic cameras. "And the same software."

Lily sat back and let Machiavelli do what he needed to do.

The Italian brought up a high-resolution map of London, found the Buxton Monument in Victoria Tower Gardens alongside the Houses of Parliament and then pinpointed the nearest traffic lights. Sixty seconds later he was looking at the live feed from the traffic camera. Watching the time code, he started running it in reverse: 2:05 … 2:04 … 2:03 … Traffic was sparse, and he sped up the digital video, jumping backward in five-minute intervals. The time code had reversed to 00:01 before he finally found what he was looking for. A black taxicab had stopped at the lights almost directly opposite the monument and a homeless man had shuffled out of the park to wipe the windows. The cab had sat at the light even though it had changed from red to green. Then the same homeless man climbed into the back of the cab and it pulled away.

"I've got him," he said. "They're heading west toward the A302."

_"Where are they going?"_ Machiavelli's master demanded. _"I want to know where they're going."_

"Give me a minute …." Using illegal access codes, Machiavelli hopped from traffic camera to traffic camera, tracking the cab by its number plate across Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square, into Piccadilly and onto the A4. "He's heading out of London," he said finally.

_"Which direction?"__ Juno snapped_

"West onto the M4."

_"Where are they going?"_ his Elder snarled. _"Why are they leaving London? Surely if they are trying to convince Gilgamesh to teach the twins one of the elemental magics, they could do it at a safe house in the city?"_

Machiavelli increased the resolution on the map, looking for items of significance on their route. "Stonehenge," he said suddenly. "I'll wager they are going to Stonehenge. He's heading for the ley lines on Salisbury Plain," he announced confidently. Lily smiled a little, so far it was sounding like a good idea to her.

_"Those gates have been dead for centuries,"_ Juno said. _"Assuming he chose the correct gate, it would still need a powerful aura to activate them."_

"And Gilgamesh has no aura," Machiavelli said very softly. "The Alchemyst would have to do it himself. But that would be madness; in his weakened state, the effort would burn through his aura and consume him in seconds."

_"That might be just enough time to open the gate and push the twins through,"_ his Elder said.

Machiavelli looked up at the screen, tracking the black cab as it drove down the A4, washed yellow in the glare of sodium light. "Would Nicholas Flamel sacrifice himself for the twins?" he wondered aloud.

_"Does he believe—truly believe—these to be the real twins?"__ Juno asked_

"Yes. Dee also believes that, and so do I."

_"Then I have no doubt that he would sacrifice himself to save them."__ Machiavelli's master said._

"There is one other option," Lily stated. "Could he not have the twins open the gates? We know their auras are powerful. And I don't think Flamel will be so eager to throw his life away, if necessary to save the twins he would, but I bet he'll have them do it."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. The Italian and Lily heard ghostly snatches of song, like the sounds of a distant radio. But the song was a Spartan marching ballad. _"The gate on Salisbury comes out on the West Coast of America, north of San Francisco."__ Juno stated_

"I could have told you that," Machiavelli said. Lily managed to cover a snicker.

_"We will lay our plans accordingly,"_ his Elder said.

"Well, what exactly does that mean …," Machiavelli began, but the phone was dead.

Lily sighed "well that was fun." She stated sarcastically.

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hopefully i'll be able to get more Lily Niccolò romantic moments in the next chapter 


	16. Airplanes, Planing, and Distractions

i only own Lily, and be warned of the suggestive moment at the end

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Chapter 16: Airplanes, Planing, and Distractions from Work

At 10:20 a.m., five minutes later than its scheduled departure time, the Air France Boeing 747 lifted off from Charles de Gaulle airport, bound for San Francisco.

Niccolò Machiavelli settled into his seat and adjusted his watch nine hours back to 1:20 a.m., Pacific Standard Time. Then he reclined his seat, laced his fingers together on his stomach, closed his eyes and enjoyed the rare luxury of being uncontactable. For the next eleven hours and fifteen minutes, no one would be able to phone, e-mail or fax him. Whatever crisis arose, someone else would have to handle it. And Lily would be two feet away from him. A smile formed on his mouth: this was like a mini-vacation, and it had been a long time—more than two centuries, in fact—since he'd had a proper rest. His last holiday, in Egypt in 1798, had been ruined when Napoléon had invaded. Machiavelli's smile faded as he shook his head slightly. He had masterminded Napoléon's plan for a "federation of free peoples" and the Code Napoléon, and if the Corsican had only continued to listen to him, France would have ruled all Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Machiavelli had even drawn up plans for an invasion of America via sea and down through Canada.

"Something to drink, monsieur?"

Machiavelli opened his eyes to find a bored-looking flight attendant smiling down at him. He shook his head. "Thank you. No. And please do not disturb me again for the duration of the flight."

The woman nodded. "Would you like to be awakened for lunch or dinner?"

"No, thank you. I am on a special diet," he said.

"If you had let us know in advance, we could have organized an appropriate meal …."

Machiavelli held up a long-fingered hand. "I am perfectly fine. Thank you," he said firmly, eyes moving off the woman's face, dismissing her.

"I will let the others know." The attendant moved away to check on Lily and the three other passengers in the l'Espace Affaires cabin. The rich smell of freshly brewed coffee and newly baked bread filled the air, and the Italian closed his eyes and tried to remember what real food—fresh food—tasted like. One of the side effects of the gift of immortality was the diminishing of appetite. Immortal humans still needed to eat, but only for fuel and energy. Most food, unless it was highly spiced or sickly sweet, was tasteless.

"Something to Drink? Mademoiselle?" the flight attendant asked Lily.

Lily smiled and shook her head "no thank you, actually-" she stoped herself and then asked "would you happen to have sprite?" the flight attendant nodded and Lily smiled "would you be able to get me a glass half full of sprite please?" the Flight attendant nodded again. Lily then said "and also after that please don't disturb me either, for lunch or dinner, I'm on the same Diet as him" she said nodding at Niccolò

The flight attendant blinked in surprise and then nodded "of course Mademoiselle"

Lily smiled "thank you" and she leaned back and watched as the flight attendant moved away from them.

Niccolò rolled his eyes "that drink of yours is tasteless, why on earth do you drink it?" he knew she had bought a bottle of fruit punch in the airport, but she hadn't been able to get her hands on a lemon lime drink.

Lily shrugged "its not all about taste,"

Niccolò raised an eyebrow. Lily rolled her eyes when she saw that "its not! It smells nice and familur, even if I can smell it a lot more clearly than when I was mortal, and-" she blushed like she usually did when she was going to say something embarrassing. "the texture of it is nice"

Niccolò had to fight to prevent his laughter "the texture? It's a drink!" he said with humor in his voice.

Lily sighed "I know, I just used to drink it all the time when I was mortal, I can't bring myself to stop drinking it"

Niccolò let it drop, she was still new to immortality, her memories as a mortal were very clear to her.

So he let his mind turn to other things and he found himself thinking of Perenelle Flamel.

Dee's Elder had been quite clear: _"Do not attempt to capture or imprison Perenelle. Do not talk to her, bargain with her or reason with her. Kill her on sight. The Sorceress is infinitely more dangerous than the Alchemyst."_

Machiavelli had trained himself to become a master of both verbal and body language. He knew when people were lying; he could read it in their eyes, the tiny movements of their clenching hands, twitching fingers and tapping feet. Even if he could not see them, several lifetimes of listening to emperors, kings, princes, politicians and thieves had taught him that it was often not what people said, but what they did _not_ say that revealed the truth.

Dee's Elders had warned that the Sorceress was infinitely more dangerous than the Alchemyst. They had not indicated exactly how … but they _had_ revealed that they were frightened of her. And why was that? he wondered. She was an immortal human: powerful, yes; dangerous, certainly; but why should she frighten the Elders?

Tilting his head, Machiavelli looked through the oval window. The 747 had risen above the clouds into a spectacularly blue sky, and he allowed his thoughts to wander, remembering the leaders he had served and manipulated down through the ages. Unlike Dee, who had come to fame as Queen Elizabeth's personal and very public advisor, he had always operated behind the scenes, dropping hints, making suggestions, allowing others to take the credit for his ideas. It was always better—safer—to be overlooked. There was an old Celtic saying he was particularly fond of: _It is better to exist_ _unknown to the law._ He'd always imagined that Perenelle was a little like him, happy to stay in the background and allow her husband to take all the credit. Everyone in Europe knew the name Nicholas Flamel. Few were even aware of Perenelle's existence. The Italian nodded unconsciously; she was the power behind the man.

Machiavelli had kept a file on the Flamels for centuries. The earliest notes were on parchment with beautifully illuminated drawings; then had come thick handmade paper with pen-and-ink sketches and later still, paper with tinted photographs. The most recent files were digital, with high-resolution photographs and video. He had retained all his earlier notes on the Alchemyst and his wife, but they had also been scanned and imported into his encrypted database. There was frustratingly little information on Nicholas, and very, very little devoted to the Sorceress. So much about her was unknown. There was even a suggestion in a fourteenth-century French report that she had been a widow when she had married Nicholas. And when the Alchemyst had died, he had left everything in his will to Perenelle's nephew, a man called Perrier. Machiavelli suspected—though he had no evidence to back up his supposition—that Perrier might be a child from her first marriage. Perrier took possession of all the Alchemyst's papers and belongings … and simply vanished from history. Centuries later, a couple claiming to be the descendents of Perrier's family appeared in Paris, where they were promptly arrested by Cardinal Richelieu. The Cardinal had been forced to release them when he realized that they knew nothing about their famous ancestor and possessed none of his books and writings.

Perenelle was a mystery.

Machiavelli had spent a fortune paying spies, librarians, historians and researchers to look into the mysterious woman, but even they had found astonishingly little on her. And when he had fought her face to face in Sicily in 1669, he had discovered then that she had access to extraordinary—almost elemental—power. Drawing upon more than a century of learning, he had battled her using a combination of magical and alchemical spells from around the globe. She had countered them all with a bewildering display of sorcery. By evening, he had been exhausted, his aura dangerously depleted, but Perenelle had still looked fresh and composed. If Mount Etna had not erupted and ended the battle, he was convinced she would have destroyed him, or caused his aura to spontaneously combust and consume his body. It was only later that he'd realized that the energies they had both released had probably caused the volcano to erupt.

"okay that's enough" Lily said

Niccolò jumped a little and looked at her; she smiled and leaned forward "your thinking of work, and considering that we have 11 hours to be un-contactable from work, that's stupid." She kissed him slowly and whispered what we **should** be thinking about, is how to have some fun"

Niccolò kissed her again "we're on an airplane, how exactly will we have **fun** without everyone on the plane knowing and possibly getting a fine when we get to America?"

Lily smiled and whispered "Darling Niccolò, that's what the bathrooms are for"

Machiavelli looked incredulous "you can't be serious?" he whispered with somewhat wide eyes.

Lily smirked, it would appear that she had startled Niccolò "yes darling, yes I am" she murmured before giving him a deeper kiss and running her fingers along his chest "what are you afraid of being caught, germs or something worse?"

Niccolò narrowed his eyes a little and kissed her a bit more passionately "and how pray tell are we both going to get into the bathroom should i decide to go along with this?"

Lily beamed "we walk into it" she whispered conspiratorially, right before she bounced to her feet and walked to the bathroom with a twitch to her hips.

It took him a couple of minutes to think again, and then he whispered "god help me that woman is going to give me a heart attack one day either that or she'll make my brain explode" before he got up and joined her.

* * *

two chapters in one day i'm feeling rather proud of myself, any way, tell me what you think please?


	17. Bad Luck

Disclaimer: I only own Lily

* * *

Chapter 17: Bad Luck

Billy the Kid glanced at the black-and-white photograph cupped in the palm of his hand, fixing Machiavelli's severe appearance in his head. The short white hair should be easy to spot, he decided. Tucking the image into the back pocket of his jeans, he folded his arms across his thin chest and watched the first passengers appear in the arrivals hall of San Francisco International Airport.

The tourists were easy to pick out; they were casually dressed in jeans or shorts and T-shirts, most with baggage carts piled high with far too many suitcases full of clothes they would never wear. Then there were the businessmen in light-colored suits, or slacks and sports jackets, carrying briefcases or pulling small overnight bags, striding out purposefully, already checking their cell phones, Bluetooth earpieces blinking in their ears. Billy paid particular attention to the families: elderly parents or grandparents greeting grandchildren, young men and women—maybe students—returning home to their parents, couples reuniting. There were lots of tears, shouts of joy, smiles and handshakes.

Finally, tall and elegant in a smart black suit, a black leather computer bag over his shoulder, the white-haired man in the photograph came into the hall. Billy bit down on the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from smiling: maybe in some European airport Machiavelli would pass unnoticed, but here, amid all the color and casual clothes, he stood out. Even if Billy hadn't seen the photograph, he would have known that this was the European immortal. He watched Machiavelli put on a pair of plain black sunglasses and scan the crowd, and even though he showed no sign of recognition, the Italian turned and made his way toward Billy. The American wondered if he would shake hands. Many immortals were reluctant to touch other humans, and especially other immortals. Though he'd met the English Magician a few times, Billy had never seen Dee take off his gray gloves.

Machiavelli stretched out his hand.

Billy smiled, quickly rubbed his palm on the leg of his jeans and stretched out his hand in turn. "How did you know it was me?" he asked in passable French. The Italian's grip was firm, his flesh cool and dry.

"I usually just follow my nose," Machiavelli replied in the same language, and then slipped into accentless English. He breathed deeply. "The hint of cayenne pepper, I believe."

"Just so," Billy agreed. He tried breathing in to catch the Italian's scent, but all he could smell were the myriad odors of the airport, plus—bizarrely—the faint odor that every cowboy associated with rattlesnakes.

"And of course I looked you up online," Machiavelli added with a wry smile. "You still resemble the famous photograph. Curious, though; you knew me the moment I stepped through the door. I could feel your eyes on me. And I don't have Lily hear by my side"

"I knew who I was looking for."

Machiavelli's eyebrows raised in a silent question. He pushed his sunglasses up onto his high forehead, gray eyes flashing as he looked down. He was at least a head taller than the American. "I take great care to ensure that no photographs of me appear online or in print."

"Our employers sent this to me." Billy fished the photo out of his back pocket and handed it over. Machiavelli looked at it, then the tiniest of smiles creased his mouth. They both knew what it meant. The Dark Elders were spying on Machiavelli … which probably meant that they were also watching Billy. Machiavelli went to return the photo, but Billy shook his head. Looking into the Italian's eyes, he said, "It served it's purpose. You might find another use for it."

Machiavelli's head moved in a slight bow that dropped his sunglasses back onto his long nose. "I am sure I will." They both knew that when the Italian returned to Paris, he would do everything in his power to find out who had taken the photograph.

Billy looked around "So where is that troublesome girl?" he asked

Niccolò smiled "she'll be here in a moment, she felt she needed time to make herself… presentable"

Billy looked at Machiavelli and said "I can honestly say I'm not surprised" his tone was bland like he had delt with this kind of thing from Lily before. The American then looked at the single bag in Machiavelli's hand. "Is that all your luggage?"

"Yes. I had packed a larger case, but then I realized I would not be here long enough to use even a tenth of the clothing I intended to bring. So I left it all behind and just brought a change of socks and underwear. And my laptop, of course."

Billy nodded then he spotted a flash of dark black hair. Hurrying towards them, he braced himself as Lily hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek. He spun her around once and then set her down to look her over "you look well, like your finally getting sleep" he commented.

Lily smacked his arm gently "Jerk!" she said trying not to laugh.

The two men and the woman made an odd picture as they headed for the exit, Machiavelli in his tailor-made black suit, Billy in a faded denim shirt, battered jeans and down-at-heel boots, and Lily in a magenta every day dress with her hair pulled back into a braid. Although the airport was packed, no one came close enough to brush against them, and the crowd unconsciously parted before them.

"So this is just a quick in-and-out trip?" Billy asked.

"I hope to be on the first available flight home." Machiavelli smiled.

Lily nodded "I have to agree, I really don't want to be in San Francisco when all hell breaks lose" she said.

"I admire your confidence," the American said, keeping his voice neutral, "I'm just of the opinion that Mrs. Flamel may not be so easily defeated." He pulled an ancient pair of Ray Bans from his shirt pocket as they stepped out into the brilliant early-afternoon sunshine. Lily reached into her purse and pulled out a cheaper pair of sunglasses.

"Is everything in readiness?" Machiavelli asked as they walked into the dimness of the parking garage.

Billy tugged his car keys out of his pocket. "I've hired a boat. It will be waiting for us at Pier Thirty-nine." He stopped, suddenly realizing that the Italian was no longer standing beside them as Lily was standing on his other side. They both turned, the key to the bright red Thunderbird in his hand, while her hands were on her sunglasses pulling them down to look over the rims and they found the Italian staring admiringly at the convertible, which was a dramatic splash of color and style in the middle of all the other ordinary cars.

"Nineteen fifty-nine Thunderbird convertible—no, nineteen sixty," Machiavelli amended. He ran a hand across the gleaming hood and over the lights. "Magnificent."

Billy grinned. He'd been prepared to dislike Niccolò Machiavelli, but the Italian had just gone up a notch in his estimation. "It's my pride and joy."

The immortal walked around the car, stooping to examine the wheels and the exhaust. "And so it should be: everything looks original."

"Everything is," Billy said proudly. "I've replaced the exhaust twice, but I made sure the replacements were from an identical model." He climbed into the car and waited while Machiavelli strapped himself in. Lily got in the back and buckled herself up "I'd have pegged you for a Lamborghini driver, or an Alfa Romeo, maybe."

"Ferarri, maybe, but never an Alfa!"

"Do you own many cars?" Billy asked.

"None. I have a company car and a driver. I don't drive," the Italian admitted.

"Don't or can't?"

"I do not like to drive. I'm a really bad driver," he admitted with a wry smile. "But then, I did learn to drive in a three-wheeled car."

"When was that?" Billy asked.

"In 1885."

"I died in 1881." Billy shook his head. "I can't imagine not being able to drive," he murmured as they pulled out of the parking lot. "Like not being able to ride." He hit the accelerator and the car surged forward and slotted into the heavy airport traffic. "Do you want to get something to eat?" he asked. "There's some good French and Italian restaurants …."

Machiavelli shook his head. "I'm not hungry. Unless you want to eat."

"I don't eat much these days," Billy admitted.

Machiavelli looked over his shoulder at Lily "you want anything Lil?"

Lily shook her head "no thanks"

Machiavelli frowned "I thought your Fear of cars made it hard for you to be in one with someone who isn't Dagon"

Lily smirked and looked over her sun glasses at Machiavelli "Billy is a very experienced driver and he can drive smoothly no matter how fast we go, I've never gotten sick with him driving"

Machiavelli's cell phone pinged. "Excuse me." He pulled out the wafer-thin phone and stared at the screen. "Ah," he said in delight.

"Good news?" Billy asked.

Machiavelli sat back in the seat and grinned. "I set a trap yesterday; it was sprung a couple of hours ago."

Billy glanced sidelong but remained silent.

Lily on the other hand sat forward eagerly "really?" she said her voice exited.

Billy looked at her and smirked, most would think that she wore her emotions on her sleeve for the world to see and needed to learn control, the truth was she was a very skilled actress, she could pretend to be interested in something and really not care, or she could pretend to be bored when she was really feeling like bouncing. She was unpredictable when it came to most things, one of the things that made her deadly dangerous.

"The moment I discovered the Alchemyst's wife was being detained in San Francisco, I knew that either he or some of his allies would attempt to make their way back here. They had two alternatives: the flight on which I've just come in, or the Notre Dame leygate." Machiavelli said.

"I'm going to guess you did something to this leygate." Billy grinned. "That sounds like the sort of thing I'd do."

"The gate is activated at Point Zero in Paris. I simply coated the stones with an alchemical concoction made from ground-up mammoth bones—bones from the Pleistocene Epoch—and added a simple Attraction spell to the mix."

The light changed to red and Billy brought the car to a stop. Tugging on the hand brake, he swiveled in his seat to look at the Italian with something like awe. "So whoever used the leygate …"

"… was pulled back in time to the Pleistocene Epoch." Lily said amused.

"Which was when?" Billy asked. "I never did get much schooling."

"Anywhere between one point eight million and maybe eleven thousand five hundred years ago." Machiavelli smiled.

"Oh, you're good." Billy shook his head. "So, do you have any idea who activated the gate?"

"A security camera has been trained on the spot for the past twenty-four hours." Machiavelli held up his phone. It showed an image of two women standing back to back in the middle of a rock-strewn square. "I've no idea who the smaller woman is," Machiavelli said, "but the one to the left is Scathach."

"The Shadow?" Billy whispered, leaning forward to look at the screen. "That's the Warrior Maid?" He looked unimpressed. "I thought she'd be taller."

"Everyone does," Machiavelli said. "That's usually their first mistake."

Car horns blared behind the Thunderbird as the lights changed, and someone shouted.

Machiavelli glanced at the American immortal curiously, wondering how he'd react. But Billy the Kid had tamed his famous temper decades ago. He raised his hand and waved an apology in the air, then took off.

"So with the Shadow out of the picture, I take it that our job is much easier."

"Infinitely," Machiavelli agreed. "I had a vague suspicion that she'd somehow turn up on Alcatraz and spoil the party."

"Well, that ain't going to happen now." Billy grinned, then got serious. "Under your seat you'll find an envelope. It contains a printout of an e-mail I received from Enoch Enterprises sometime yesterday afternoon, giving us permission to land on Alcatraz. Dee's company currently owns the island. You'll also find a photograph that came attached to an anonymous e-mail that arrived this morning. I'm guessing it's for you. Means nothing to me."

Machiavelli shook out the two pages. On Enoch Enterprises letterhead was a long legal-looking document giving the bearer permission to land on the island and carry out "historical research." It was signed _John Dee, PhD._ The second sheet was a high-resolution color photo of the images on the wall of an Egyptian pyramid.

"Do you know what it means?" Billy asked.

Machiavelli turned the page sideways. "This is taken from the pyramid of Unas, who reigned in Egypt over four thousand years ago," he said slowly. A perfectly manicured nail traced a line of hieroglyphs. "These used to be called Pyramid Texts; nowadays we call them the Book of the Dead." He tapped the photograph and laughed softly. "I do believe this is the formula of words for awakening all the creatures sleeping on the island." He slipped the pages back into the envelope and looked over at the younger man. "Let's get out to Alcatraz. It is time to kill Perenelle Flamel."

Perenelle Flamel was disappointed.

Huddled in the watchtower where she had spent the night, the Sorceress had been hoping against hope that any one of the small sailing boats scattered across the bay would suddenly veer toward the island, and Scatty and Joan would come ashore.

But as the day wore on, she'd realized that they were not coming.

She had no doubts that they had tried, and she knew that only something terrible could have kept them away. But she was also a little annoyed with herself for getting her hopes up.

_"Boat coming!"_ de Ayala's voice whispered behind her left ear, startling her.

"Juan!" she snapped. "You're going to be the death of me!" She pushed to the edge of the watchtower, feeling a wave of relief wash over her, along with the tiniest twinge of guilt that she had ever doubted her friends. The Sorceress's face broke into a cruel smile; with Joan of Arc and Scathach the Shadow by her side, nothing—not even the sphinx and the Old Man of the Sea—would be able to stand against her.

Huge black wings flapped and snapped, and she watched the Crow Goddess come spiraling down off the top of the lighthouse and float gently to the wharf almost directly below her. Perenelle frowned; what was the creature thinking? Scathach would probably feed her to the Nereids, who were none too fussy about what they ate.

She was just about to stand up and climb out of the tower when de Ayala's face partially materialized in front of her. The ghost's eyes were wide with alarm. _"Down. Stay down."_

Perenelle flattened herself against the floor. She heard the bubbling of an outboard motor and the scrape of wood against wood as the boat bumped up against the dock. And then a voice spoke. A male voice.

"Madam, it is an honor to find you are here."

There was something about the voice, something dreadfully familiar …. Perenelle crept over to the edge of the watchtower and peered down. Almost directly below her, the Italian immortal Niccolò Machiavelli was bowing deeply to the Crow Goddess. The Sorceress recognized the young man who climbed out of the boat as the immortal she'd caught spying on her the previous day. But the young woman with them Perenelle didn't know, though she looked familiar.

Machiavelli straightened and held up an envelope. "I have instructions from our Elder master. We are to awaken the sleeping army and kill the Sorceress. Where is she?" he demanded.

The Crow Goddess's smile was savage. "Let me show you."

"The Sorceress is in a cell in D Block," the Crow Goddess said. "This way." She stood back and allowed Machiavelli, Lily and Billy the Kid to precede her. Then she turned her head and looked over her shoulder, up at the watchtower, red and yellow eyes bright against her pale skin. She raised her pencil-thin eyebrows, her black lips curled in a slight smile and then she dropped her sunglasses on her face. The Crow Goddess tugged her black feathered cloak high on her shoulders and strode after the three immortals, boot heels clicking on the damp stones.

_"What just happened?"_ de Ayala asked, confused.

"A debt was paid," Perenelle said softly, her eyes following the creature as she disappeared directly below the watchtower. "Unasked and unexpected," she added with a smile. The Sorceress grabbed her spear, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and climbed down the metal ladder onto the wharf. She breathed deeply; there were traces of Machiavelli's serpent odor and his companion's scent—red pepper—and—lotus blossom—lingering on the air. She would not forget them.

_"You should wait until they are in the cells below before attacking,"_ de Ayala said, materializing beside her. He was now wearing the more formal costume of a lieutenant in the Spanish navy. _"Take them unawares. Is your aura strong?"_

"As strong as it is going to get, I believe. Why?"

_"Strong enough to bring the ceiling down on top of them?"_

Perenelle leaned on the spear and stared at the sea-rotted buildings. "Yes, yes, I could do that," she said carefully. The onshore breeze whipped strands of hair across her face. She brushed them away, realizing there was more silver than black in them. "I need to conserve my aura, but I'm sure I could find a little spell to eat away at the concrete and metal supports …."

The ghost rubbed his hands gleefully. _"All the spirits of Alcatraz will assist you, of course, madame. Just tell us what we need to do."_

"Thank you, Juan. They have already helped enough." Perenelle took off after the trio, moving silently in her battered shoes. She stopped at the corner of a building and peered around. The Crow Goddess and the immortals had vanished.

De Ayala floated up. _"And what of the ice you used against the sphinx? That was successful; how about sealing the entire corridor in solid ice?"_

"That might be a little trickier," the Sorceress admitted, turning and heading purposefully back toward the wharf, past the bookshop. A wicked smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "However, there is something I can do that will most certainly upset them."

_"Which is?"_ de Ayala asked eagerly.

Perenelle pointed with the wooden spear. "I'm going to steal their boat." The ghost looked so disappointed that the Sorceress laughed for the first time in days.

"You know her?" Billy the Kid asked, dipping his head and speaking out of the corner of his mouth. He was looking at the back of the woman they were following through the maze of stone and metal corridors.

Lily shook her head "I haven't met her before, have you Niccolò?"

Machiavelli nodded. "We've met on occasion," he said quietly. "She is the Crow Goddess, one of the Next Generation."

The woman's head swiveled around like an owl's to regard the two men and the young woman. Her eyes were hidden behind mirrored wraparound sunglasses. "And my hearing is excellent."

Billy grinned. He took two quick steps forward and fell in alongside the woman in black leather. He stuck out his hand. "William Bonney, ma'am. Most people just call me Billy."

The Crow Goddess looked at the hand and then she smiled, overlong incisors pressing against her black lips. "Don't touch me. I bite."

Lily snickered.

Billy was unfazed. "I haven't been immortal for long, a mite over a hundred twenty-six years, in fact, and I've not met that many Elders or Next Generation. Certainly no one like you …"

"William," Machiavelli said quietly, "I think you should stop bothering the Crow Goddess."

"I'm not bothering her, I'm just asking …"

Lily then said "Billy stop bugging the Crow Goddess before you do something stupid" she teased.

"You're immortal, William, not invulnerable." Machiavelli smiled. "The Morrigan is worshipped in the Celtic lands as a goddess of death. That should be a clue to her nature." He suddenly stopped walking. "What was that?"

Billy the Kid's hand dipped under his coat and came out with a fifteen-inch-long bowie knife. His face changed, instantly becoming hard. "What?"

Machiavelli held up his hand, silencing the American. Head tilted to one side, he concentrated. "It sounds like—"

"—an outboard engine!" Billy took off at a run. Machiavelli cast a quick suspicious glance at the Crow Goddess and turned to race back down the corridor. Lily was ahead of both of them.

Moments later the sphinx padded around the corner. She spotted the Crow Goddess and stopped, and the two women bowed politely. They were distantly related through a complex web of Elder relationships. "I thought I heard something," the sphinx said.

"So did they." The Crow Goddess's smile was savage.

Nicholas had never learned to drive, but Perenelle had finally taken lessons ten years ago and, after six weeks of driving school, passed her test on the first attempt. They had never bought a car, but Perenelle had forgotten none of her lessons. It took her a few moments to work out how to control the small bright yellow motorboat. She turned the key in the ignition and pushed the throttle, and the outboard motor foamed white water. Spinning the wheel, she pushed the throttle farther and the boat roared away from Alcatraz Island, leaving a V of white water in its wake.

De Ayala's face coalesced out of the spray spitting in over the bow. _"I thought you were going to fight."_

"Fighting is a last resort," she shouted above the wind and the roar of the engine. "If Scathach and Joan had joined me, perhaps then I would have gone up against the sphinx and the two immortals. But not on my own."

_"What about the Spider God?"_

"Areop-Enap can take care of itself," Perenelle said. "They'd best hope they're not on the island when it awakes. It'll be hungry, and the Old Spider has a voracious appetite."

A tiny distant shout made her turn. Machiavelli and his companions were on the docks. The Italian was standing still, and the smaller man was waving his arms, sunlight glinting off a knife in his hand. The woman stood perfectly still just staring at the sorceress getting away

_"Will they not use their magic?"_ de Ayala asked.

"Magic is not really effective over running water." Perenelle grinned.

_"I fear I must leave you, madame. I need to return to the island."_ The ghost's face started to dissolve into spray.

"Thank you, Juan, for all that you have done," Perenelle said sincerely in formal Spanish. "I am in your debt."

_"Will you be back to Alcatraz?"_

Perenelle looked over her shoulder at the prison. Knowing now that the cells held a collection of nightmares, she thought the island itself looked almost like a sleeping beast. "I will." Someone would have to do something about the army before it was awakened. "I will be back. And soon," she promised.

_"I will be waiting,"_ de Ayala said, and vanished.

Perenelle angled the boat in toward the pier and eased back on the throttle. A delighted smile crept across her face. She was free.

Niccolò Machiavelli took a deep breath and calmed himself. Anger clouded judgment, and right now he needed to be thinking clearly. He had underestimated the Sorceress, and she'd made him pay for that mistake. It was unforgivable. He'd been sent to Alcatraz to kill Perenelle and he'd failed. Neither his master nor Dee's master was going to be happy, though he had a feeling that Dee himself would not be too upset. The English Magician would probably gloat.

Although he feared the Sorceress, Machiavelli had really wanted to fight the woman. He had never forgiven her for defeating him on Mount Etna and over the centuries had spent a fortune collecting spells, incantations and cantrips that would destroy her. He was determined to have his revenge. And she had cheated him. Not with magic, or with the power of her aura. But with cunning … and that was supposed to be his specialty.

"Stop her," Billy shouted. "Do something!"

"Will you be quiet for a moment?" he snapped at the American. He pulled out his phone. "I need to make a report, and I'm really not looking forward to it. One should never be the bearer of bad news."

And then, across the bay, the Old Man of the Sea exploded out of the water, directly in front of the boat. Octopus tentacles wrapped tightly around the small craft, bringing it to a shuddering halt. Perenelle disappeared, flung back by the sudden stop.

Machiavelli put his phone back in his pocket; maybe he would have some good news to report after all.

Nereus's voice trembled across the water, his words vibrating on the waves. "I knew we would meet again, Sorceress." Machiavelli, Lily and Billy watched as the hideous Elder flowed up out of the sea and squatted across the prow of the boat, legs writhing. Wood creaked and cracked, the small windshield shattered and the weight of the creature in the front of the vessel brought the stern right up out of the waves, its outboard engine still whining.

Shading his eyes, Machiavelli watched the Sorceress climb to her feet. She was holding a long wooden spear in both hands. Sunlight winked golden off the weapon, which trailed white smoke into the air. He saw her stab once, twice, three times at the creature's legs before bringing the spear around to jab at Nereus's chest. Water fountained, spraying high, as the Old Man of the Sea desperately scrambled away from the blade. The Elder fell off the prow of the boat and disappeared back under the waves in an explosion of frothing bubbles. The boat settled back in the water, engine foaming and churning, and then shot forward again. Three long still-wriggling legs peeled off the motorboat and drifted away on the tide. The entire encounter had taken less than a minute.

Machiavelli sighed and pulled out his phone again. He had no good news to report after all; could this day get any worse? A shadow appeared overhead and he looked up to see the huge shape of the Crow Goddess flying by. She soared high, black cloak spread like wings, then swooped down to land neatly on the back of the yellow motorboat.

The Italian started to smile. Of course, the Crow Goddess would simply pull the Sorceress out of the boat and then the Nereids could feast. The smile faded as he watched the two women—Next Generation and immortal human—embrace. By the time they turned to wave back at the island, his face was a grim mask.

"I thought the Crow Goddess was on our side," Billy the Kid said plaintively.

"It seems you just cannot trust anyone these days," Niccolò Machiavelli remarked, walking away.

Lily rubbed her forehead "great, just great." She sighed

* * *

and so ends the Sorceress and now onto the Necromancer!


	18. Old Friends and in so Much Trouble

Disclaimer: i only own Lily

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Chapter 18: Old Friends, and in so Much Trouble

Niccolò Machiavelli took a deep breath of the salty sea air and pressed his hands against his aching stomach. Before he'd become immortal he'd been troubled with ulcers, and although his Elder master had cured him of all human ills, at times of great stress his stomach still cramped. Now, standing on the quay on Alcatraz, staring out toward San Francisco, his stomach felt as if it were on fire.

"We're going to be fine, just fine," the young man in the stained jeans and battered cowboy boots standing beside him said for the tenth time. "We're going to be fine."

The girl on his other side said nothing she just stared out across the bay.

"William," Machiavelli said carefully, keeping his voice low, "how long have you been immortal?"

"One hundred and twenty-six years," Billy the Kid said proudly.

"I became immortal in the year 1527," the Italian said, glancing at the American. "I was alive when Columbus claimed discovery of this country. I am not the oldest immortal—I am older than Dee, but the Alchemyst Flamel is older than I, Duns Scotus is even older still, and Mo-Tzu older still. Gilgamesh is older than all of us. But I have had more contact with the Elders than these others. And let me tell you that our Elder masters do not countenance failure. They demand complete obedience. They expect results. And we have failed," he added. He held up his closed fist and extended his little finger. "We were sent here to kill the Sorceress Perenelle"—he stuck a second finger up—"and release the creatures in the cells into the city." Another finger. "Perenelle escaped, in our boat," he added, extending a fourth finger, "leaving us trapped on the island with the monsters still in their cells. We failed. We are most definitely _not_ going to be fine."

Lily snarled "would the two of you just shut up?" she snapped.

Both men and the woman turned as the sound of an engine drew nearer. Machiavelli shaded his stone-gray eyes and saw a boat approaching, leaving a wide white wake across the bay.

Billy held up his cell phone. "I called for help," he said, almost apologetically. "What do you reckon will happen?"

Machiavelli sighed. "We will be summoned before our masters and our immortality will be removed. We will die. Quickly, if we are lucky, but our masters are often cruel.…"

Billy shuddered. "Not sure I like the thought of that. I've sort of grown used to being immortal." Then he shook his head quickly. "My master is …" He paused, trying to find the proper word. "He's different from some of these other Elders. I can explain all this to him." He waved his hand vaguely in the direction of the prison buildings behind him. "We'll be fine."

"Please stop saying that."

Lily rolled her eyes.

A bright red speedboat pulled up to the dock and a tall, striking-looking Native American with copper skin and hatchet-sharp features grinned up at Billy the Kid. "Our master wants to see you—you too," he said, looking at Machiavelli. "You are both in so much trouble." He looked at Lily then and smile a bit more softly "he says to bring you too"

Lily groaned "perfect" she said as she got in, she gave the man a quick kiss on the cheek "how are you doing Black Hawk?" she asked as Niccolò and Billy got in behind her.

"I'm doing just fine Lily"

"This is my friend Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak," Billy the Kid said as the small powerboat bounced across San Francisco Bay.

The sharp-featured man nodded to Machiavelli. "You'll find it more convenient to call me Black Hawk," he drawled. He was dressed, like Billy, in faded jeans, old cowboy boots and a T-shirt. Unlike Billy, though, who was thin to the point of scrawniness, Black Hawk was a solid mass of muscle. He handled the bucking powerboat with ease.

Billy tapped him on the shoulder. "Over there; my car is at Pier—"

"I checked. Your car is gone," Black Hawk said, and then laughed aloud at the stricken look on Billy's face.

"Stolen! Someone stole my car!" He turned to the Italian. "That's … that's criminal!"

Machiavelli kept his face expressionless. "I'll wager the Sorceress took it."

Lily laughed giggling merrily.

Billy nodded eagerly. "I bet you're right. She'll look after it, though, won't she? I mean, she'll know it's a classic car and treat it with respect?"

Machiavelli caught Black Hawk's eye and then had to look away quickly before he laughed. "I do believe I read in my files somewhere that Perenelle Flamel only learned how to drive recently," he said innocently.

Lily snorted and clapped her hand over her mouth too snicker.

Billy sank down to the side of the boat as if he'd been struck. "She'll ruin it. She'll wreck the transmission and she'll probably scrape the tires against the curb. Do you know how hard it is to find those whitewall tires?"

"If it's any consolation," Black Hawk said with a grin, "in about an hour, you'll never need a car again. The last time I saw our master this angry was in April 1906 … and you know what happened then."

Billy's face set in a petulant snarl. "Well, I don't know what you're so happy about. I was going to leave you that car in my will."

"Thanks." Black Hawk shrugged. "But I'm not a Thunderbird person; I prefer Mustangs."

Lily smacked Billy's shoulder "he gets the car but not me?" she asked in false outrage, she couldn't hide the smile on her face.

Billy held up his hands to ward off any other blows she might give him "hey I was gonna leave you the Anasazi pottery bowl if it hadn't broken!" he said laughing.

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okay this was a short-ish chapter but don't worry cuz another chapter is coming probably within two hours


	19. Car Sick

Disclaimer: only own Lily

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Chapter 19: Car Sick

Niccolò Machiavelli sat in the passenger seat of the stripped-down army surplus jeep, clutching the bar welded onto the dashboard in a white-knuckled grip. Billy sat in the back and whooped delightedly with each bump and dip on the unpaved road. Black Hawk drove the narrow country lanes at high speed, foot pushed hard to the floor, a ferocious grin on his face. Lily had her head out the car and was looking a really ugly shade of green

"I think," Machiavelli said, shouting to be heard over the noise of the engine, "I think that your master would probably prefer us alive so he can kill us himself. He might be irritated if you do the job for him. Slow down."

"This isn't fast," Black Hawk said. The jeep lurched forward, engine howling as all four wheels left the ground. "Now, this is fast."

Lily turned even greener

"I'll be sick," Machiavelli promised, "and when I am, I'm going to be sick in your direction. Yours too," he added, looking back over his shoulder at Billy the Kid.

Black Hawk reluctantly eased his foot off the accelerator.

"I've not lived through more than five hundred years of Europe's most turbulent history only to die in a car crash." Machiavelli said looking at Lily over his shoulder.

Lily made a gagging sound and said "I don't think we can die in car crashes Niccolò" she made another gagging sound

"Black Hawk could drive these roads wearing a blindfold," Billy said. As he rubbed Lily's back.

"I'm sure he could, though why he would want to do something like that is beyond me."

"Have you, either of you, never done something purely for the thrill of it?" Black Hawk asked.

Lily said in a horse yet snippy voice "I'll stick to rollercoasters'!" right before she made the gagging sound again.

"No," Machiavelli said. "Not for a long time."

Black Hawk looked shocked. "But that seems like such a waste of immortality. I pity you," he added.

"You pity me?"

"You are not living, you are surviving."

Niccolò Machiavelli stared at the Native American immortal for a long time before he finally nodded and looked away. "You may be right," he murmured.

Lily finally pulled her head into the car and rested it on the seat in front of her "I hate you Black Hawk" she muttered.

Black Hawk smirked "I know"

He then pushed the accelerator for a bit causing lily to stick her head out the window again and gag yet again, as he slowed down and Lily pulled her head in she said "not funny and if you do it again, your going to get a very nasty Jeep" she threatened. Black Hawk laughed but he didn't accelerate like that again.

The house was set back off the road.

At first glance it looked like a small, ordinary timber cottage, similar to so many others scattered across the United States. It was only when one approached closer that the truth was revealed: the house was enormous, much of it built into the side of the hill behind it.

Machiavelli felt his skin prickle and crawl the moment the car turned off the rough track onto a narrow rutted drive: the telltale signs of warding spells. There was old magic here, ancient eldritch power. He caught glimpses of arcane symbols cut into trees, spirals daubed on rocks, stick figures carved into fence posts. The track cut straight across a field of grass that grew as high as the car doors. The blades rasped and hissed against the metal, sounding like a thousand warning whispers. The Italian caught flickers of movement all around him, and glimpses of snakes, toads, and quick, scurrying lizards. A gangling misshapen scarecrow dominated the field on the left-hand side of the track. Its head was a huge gnarled dried pumpkin that had been carved in a round-eyed face with a protruding tongue.

The grassy field stopped abruptly, as if a line had been drawn in the earth, and the rest of the approach to the house was across perfectly flat land. Machiavelli nodded his approval: nothing could get through the field without setting off countless alarms or being attacked by a poisonous lurking guardian. Getting close to the house undetected would be impossible. An enormous lynx, bigger than any he had ever seen before, lay on the ground before the open front door, regarding the car impassively, only the tiny movements of its black-tufted ears betraying that it was real and not a carving.

Black Hawk pulled the jeep up in front of the house, but kept the engine running and made no move to climb out. "End of the road," he said without a trace of a smile.

Niccolò climbed out gratefully and started to brush the dirt and grit off his expensive handmade suit, then gave up. The suit was ruined. He had a closetful of identical suits in his home in Paris, but he doubted he'd ever get a chance to wear them again. He held his arms out and helped Lily out of the car not protesting as she rested her head on his shoulder, usually during work he didn't approve of public displays of affection but given the circumstances he knew she needed comfort right at the moment, in a few minutes that need would be gone.

Looking around, he breathed in the warm grassy air. Whenever he thought about dying—which he did with remarkable regularity—he imagined it would take place in a European city, Paris perhaps, maybe even Rome or his beloved Florence. He'd never thought he was going to end his days in California. However, he wasn't dead yet, and he wasn't going down without a fight.

As soon as Billy leapt out of the jeep, Black Hawk put it in gear and skidded away, showering him and Machiavelli in stones and grit, enveloping them in a cloud of dust. Billy grinned. "I knew he was going to do that."

"You seem remarkably cheerful for someone who may be about to die," Machiavelli said.

Lily took a deep breath and slowly eased herself away from Machiavelli taking another deep breath and standing up straighter.

"I've seen men go to their deaths laughing, I've seen others wail and cry. They all died in the end, but those who were laughing seemed to have an easier time of it." Billy said

"Do you expect to die here today?"

Billy laughed. "Dying's not something I ever think about," Billy said. "But no, I don't think it's going to happen today. We haven't done anything wrong."

The Italian immortal nodded but said nothing.

"Mr. Machiavelli doesn't think I have the authority to remove his immortality. He's incorrect." The man who stepped out of the house was short and slender, his skin the color of brightly polished copper, his face bisected by an enormous hawklike nose and dominated by a full white beard that reached to his chest. His eyes were solid black with no whites showing. He was dressed simply in white linen trousers and shirt and his feet were bare. He smiled, revealing that every one of his teeth had been filed to razor-sharp points. "I am Quetzalcoatl the Feathered Serpent."

"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Quez … Quet … Quaza …," Machiavelli began.

"Oh, call me Kukulkan, everyone else does," the Elder said.

Lily smiled and said "nice to meet you Kukulkan."

The Elder stared at Lily, smiled, and headed back into the house. Machiavelli and Lily blinked in surprise: a long serpent's tail, bright with multicolored feathers, trailed behind the Elder.

Billy caught Machiavelli and Lily by the arm. "Whatever you do," he whispered urgently, "don't mention the tail."

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	20. Don't Mention the Tail

Disclaimer: i only own Lily

not much of Lily in this chapter i'm afraid, but there will be more in the chapter coming up i promise!

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Chapter 20: Don't Mention the Tail

"I suppose Billy told you not to mention the tail?" Kukulkan said, sitting on a curved stone stool carved with hideous grinning faces. The brightly colored feathered tail coiled around his feet, the tip beating silently against the floor.

Niccolò Machiavelli sat back into an ornate hand-carved wooden throne, rested his elbows on its arms and brought the fingertips of both hands together before his face. A sense of calm settled over him, and the fact that they had not been killed immediately gave him reason to hope.

Lily had already sat down and now had her ankles crossed and was leaning back against her own throne acting for all the world like she didn't have any cares or worries.

Taking a slow deep breath, Machiavelli composed himself before answering.

The Italian had been in situations like this before, when all that kept him from certain death were his wits and his skill with words. He had been an ambassador to the glittering courts of France and Spain, where a single wrong word or misplaced look could get a man killed. Later still, he had survived the deathly Papal court and the even more ruthless and dangerous world of the Borgias, where assassination and poisoning were commonplace. The Elder sitting opposite him, looking human in every respect—except for the tail and the solid black eyes—might be ten thousand and more years old, but Machiavelli had discovered that just about every being he had come across either in this world or in the nearby Shadowrealms, was driven by nearly the same needs and desires. Humani's earliest myths were full of tales that revealed just how petty the gods could be. It was said that the gods had made man in their image. If so, then the humani had inherited all the faults and frailties of those same gods.

Kukulkan's tail twitched as he waited for an answer.

Finally, Machiavelli smiled and said, "Billy may have suggested that I avoid the subject of the tail." From the corner of his eye, he saw the older American immortal close his eyes in dismay. "Though I have to say," he added, "it is one of the finest tails I have ever seen."

Billy the Kid's eyes and mouth snapped open in horror. He had been standing behind the Italian's right shoulder, facing the Elder, but now he slowly and carefully stepped aside moving closer to Lily. He'd been in enough shoot-outs to know that it was not a good idea to stand behind a target. Lily was also looking at Machiavelli in horror thinking he was as good as dead.

"And you have seen many tails?" the small man with the white beard said. His almost lipless mouth was a horizontal slash, and his solid black eyes fixed on Machiavelli's face.

"Many, in both this world and the Shadowrealms. I have always had a fondness for beautiful things," the Italian added. "I collected antiques for centuries, and for years one of my most prized possessions was an Abelam Yam Mask from Papua New Guinea. It was adorned with the most magnificent bird-of-paradise plumes."

"A beautiful bird," Kukulkan agreed.

"Though I do believe yours is the finer plumage," Machiavelli added.

"If I thought you were attempting to flatter me, I would strike you dead on the spot." The old man's face shifted subtly.

Billy took another step away. Lily closed her eyes in horror.

"You want to know whether I am lying?" Machiavelli asked.

Kukulkan tilted his head to one side, listening.

"Are your feathers more beautiful than the plumage of the bird-of-paradise?" Machiavelli asked.

"Why, of course," the Elder agreed.

"So I was merely stating a fact. I have found that the truth is usually the simplest way," the immortal said. "Fools lie, clever men stick to the truth."

Lily's eyes snapped open and stared at Machiavelli, but for the first time, he couldn't read the expression in her face, he couldn't tell if she was amused, awed, or fearful. Her expression was completely blank.

"Your master said you were … complex," Kukulkan said after a long pause.

"I was unaware that you knew my master," Machiavelli said. "Though I should not be surprised; I suppose most of the Elders know one another."

"Not all," Kukulkan answered. "I am still occasionally shocked when someone I have not heard of in millennia reappears in this Shadowrealm." He turned his head to look out the enormous window that took up one wall. From this angle, with his strong chin and hooked nose, he resembled the faces on the stone statues Machiavelli had seen carved into temples across South America. "Your master and I are related," Kukulkan said softly, glancing over at the Italian, "not by blood or family, but by bonds forged in struggle and adversity. I am honored to call him brother."

"Can I ask how you know my master?"

"In the terrible days after the sundering of Danu Talis, the survivors took to the remnants of our once-great fleet of metal boats. For many days, we floated adrift on seas boiling with lava, the air foul and stinking with brimstone while the heavens rained burning coals and boiling water. When my ship struck a newly created lava reef and sank, I was the sole survivor. Against his crew's wishes, your master turned his boat around just to rescue me, even though I was a different clan and caste. He shared his food and water with me, and when I despaired, he regaled with me tales of the World That Was and the World to Come. He taught me that out of the destruction of Danu Talis a new world would form—a world neither better nor worse than the one which had been destroyed. Your master changed me, made me realize the potential in this new humani race. We needed them, he said, in order to survive. I believed him." Kukulkan rose to his feet and wandered around the room, the tail rasping along on the ground behind him. "I still do."

Now that his eyes had adjusted to the gloom, Machiavelli could see that the huge room was filled with countless artifacts from the Aztec, Maya and Olmec cultures: stone carvings, etched squares of gold, elaborate jade masks and bejeweled black obsidian knives. Scattered among the antiques were pieces that were obviously Egyptian, some of them astonishingly similar to their Mayan counterparts.

The Elder's fingers trailed over an Aztec sword—a length of jade inset with black volcanic glass. "I went west to the Land of Jungle and Mountain, while your master, Aten, continued on to the east and the Lands of the Middle Sea." Kukulkan picked up a tiny carved scarab beetle and looked at it closely before returning it to its shelf. "We trained the humani, nudged them toward civilization. In time the humani came to worship us, though in different ways. And I was never happier." Something must have shown on Machiavelli's usually impassive face, because the Elder's lips curved into a smile. "You are surprised that we are capable of happiness?" Kukulkan asked.

The immortal shook his head. "The Elders I have dealt with over the centuries showed rage, anger, jealousy. I never considered that they might enjoy some of the other emotions," he admitted.

"Why?"

Machiavelli shrugged. "Because you are not human," he suggested.

"There are some emotions that are common to all living creatures—from Elder to humani and even the beasts," Kukulkan said. "Have you never watched a dog mourning its master, nor a herd of elephants honoring their dead? Surely you have seen the excitement a hound exhibits when its master returns?"

Machiavelli nodded.

"But it is true that as a race, the Elders are not entirely comfortable with some of the lighter emotions. Centuries of power and authority stripped us of much of our joy in life. We had everything and we wanted more. In those last years before the island sank, there was not much laughter. The Elders were cruel to their servants and to one another. We fought because we could; we waged wars for no reason other than we were bored." Kukulkan looked quickly at Machiavelli. "I was as guilty as all the others. Aten changed that. He was the fiercest, bravest warrior I have ever encountered, and yet he was also the gentlest and kindest." He saw the look of surprise on the Italian's face. "You did not know this about your own master?"

"I met him twice face to face," Machiavelli said, "and then only briefly. The second time he made me immortal. Although we've spoken often over the centuries, we've not met again." He smiled. "And while I think I could call him many things, I would never describe him as gentle and kind. He single-handedly destroyed an entire way of life in Egypt. He was so hated that almost every instance of his name was removed from the historical records."

Kukulkan waved his hand dismissively. "I was there. He did—_we_ did—what was necessary. We made Egypt great." The Elder returned to his stone seat and silently faced Machiavelli. He was completely still, only the feathers on his tail shifting slightly in the warm breeze that wafted through the open door.

Machiavelli sat back in his chair and waited. He had infinite patience—he considered it one of his greatest strengths—so he knew he could outwait Kukulkan. Hasty words and hasty actions had destroyed many a plan. He wasn't sure he entirely believed the Elder. Machiavelli had done his own research: when his master, Aten—who was also known as Akhenaten—had ruled Egypt, he had been such a tyrant that later generations would refer to him simply as the Enemy. Machiavelli also knew that Akhenaten's son, Tutankhamen, had possessed a rare gold aura.

"What do I do with you, Italian?" the Elder said suddenly.

"Do with me?"

"Do you always answer a question with a question?"

"Do I?"

Kukulkan's feathered tail twitched and tapped impatiently on the floor.

"Mac," Billy whispered in alarm.

"Don't call me Mac. I hate that."

"Then don't irritate the all-powerful Elder," Billy muttered.

Lily glared at Machiavelli "do you have a death wish Nic?"

He rolled his eyes at the much hated nickname she had given him.

Kukulkan's face and coal black eyes betrayed no expression, nor was there any emotion in his voice when he spoke. "I am unsure whether you are arrogant, stupid or very clever."

"I am arrogant," Machiavelli said with a smile. "I have always known that. But I am very clever, too. I am also valuable"—he waved his hand to include all the rare treasures in the room—"and I can see that you appreciate valuable things."

Kukulkan's head dipped in acknowledgment. "I do. And a valuable tool should not be hastily put aside."

"I've been called a valuable tool before," Machiavelli said.

"By your master?"

"Aten has called me that on several occasions," Machiavelli agreed.

The Elder nodded in agreement. "Aten gave me many tools and many gifts," Kukulkan continued. "He taught me how to live, how to respect and how to love. There is much that I owe my brother; I have always been in his debt. And although he has not asked that your life be spared, I believe I will spare it, as a gift to him. A debt must always be honored."

Machiavelli bowed slightly. He swallowed a quick rush of anger. He knew he should be grateful that he was still alive, but something about the creature's reasoning bothered him. It was something he'd put aside and think about later; he had a rule never to allow anger to cloud his judgment. "I am grateful," he said simply.

"Me too," said Billy.

"Who said anything about sparing you!" Kukulkan snapped.

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	21. Billy's Judgment

Alright Chapter 21, more of Lily in the next chapter for sure, i would have put more of her in this chapter but i decided not to because it was Billy's turn to be in the spot light :D

Disclaimer: i only own Lily

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Chapter 21: Billy's Judgment

"Killing me," Billy the Kid said slowly, "or even _trying_ to kill me, would be a mistake." There was no humor in his voice now, and his accent had turned hard and clipped. "Lots of men have tried, and lots have failed."

Kukulkan wheezed a laugh. "I am not a man."

The immortal edged away from the Elder.

"Billy," Machiavelli said softly, a note of warning in his voice.

Billy looked at the Italian and caught the hint of movement behind him. He turned to see the huge lynx standing in the doorway, its wide green eyes fixed on him.

"This one," Kukulkan said, pointing at the Italian, "I have chosen to keep alive. And the girl I have no say in, Juno wants to deal with her herself. But why should I keep you alive?"

"Have you forgotten that I rescued you, saved your life?"

"And have you forgotten that I repaid that debt by making you immortal?"

"I've done your dirty work ever since," Billy said quickly.

"And now you have embarrassed me before my fellow Elders. I assured them you would be perfect for this small task," Kukulkan said. "And you failed me."

"Personally, I think _you_ failed _me,"_ the American snapped, stepping away from the door. "You sent me out to perform a dangerous job without telling me what I was getting into." Still moving slowly around the room, he stabbed a finger at the Elder. "You underestimated the Sorceress."

"You are not the first," Machiavelli offered quickly. "Perenelle has chosen to live in her husband's shadow, and yet I have always believed she was the cleverer of the two. There is so much about her that is unknown."

Lily gently smacked her hand to her forehead, Machiavelli was very smart and good with politics, but she really needed to teach him when he needed to shut the hell up.

Kukulkan came slowly to his feet and glared at the Italian. "Do not speak again," he hissed, "lest I change my mind and kill you too." He turned to focus again on Billy. "I gave you three simple tasks: escort this man to the island, kill the Sorceress and free the beasts. You failed."

"Well, one down, two to go. That ain't so bad!" Billy said. Then he suddenly lunged toward the shelf that held the Elder's collection of ancient artifacts and grabbed the jade club studded with volcanic glass. It was a Macuahuitl, an Aztec sword. As he lifted the club, the black obsidian shards sparkled in the afternoon light.

"How dare you raise a weapon in my presence." Kukulkan's head suddenly jutted forward and an unnaturally long black forked tongue flickered toward the outlaw.

But instead of pulling away, Billy took a step _toward_ the Elder, slashing out with the Macuahuitl. The razor-sharp glass whistled as it cut through the air. Kukulkan immediately sucked his tongue back in and then coughed and gagged, choking on it. The Macuahuitl had missed it by inches.

"Do that again and I'll cut it off!" Billy yelled. "I know you'll grow a new one, but I bet it'll hurt."

Lily put her hand over her mouth to hide a smirk.

The huge lynx padded silently toward the American, its jaws opening to reveal savage teeth.

"And you better tell your kitty cat to step outside," the American added, without looking away from the Elder. He tilted the Macuahuitl and sent sparkles of reflected light around the room, shining it into the cat's eyes.

The lynx stopped and fixed its narrow head on the Elder; then it turned and moved silently from the room.

"You have made an enemy of me," Kukulkan said.

"Well, I'm not feeling too friendly toward you right now either. You were talking about killing me," Billy reminded him. "That can upset a man."

"Am I the only adult here?" Machiavelli said suddenly. He had not moved from the chair and had watched the Elder with fascination: he was behaving like a spoiled child. "Enough of this nonsense; we are supposed to be on the same side."

"No humani threatens me …," Kukulkan began.

"And no one—Elder, immortal, human or monster—threatens me," Billy said.

"OK, we've established that neither of you likes to be threatened," Machiavelli said mildly, "so let us now return to the business at hand. It seems to me," he continued quickly, looking at each of them in turn, forcing them to focus on him, "that we have all disappointed someone or other. However, we have an opportunity to make amends." He looked at the Feathered Serpent evenly. "We are grateful—both of us—to still be alive. We know we've failed; now let us see how we can make amends."

"I didn't f—" Billy began, but a look from the Italian silenced him.

"We are aware that our failure reflects poorly on you," Machiavelli said, deliberately accepting blame in an attempt to calm Kukulkan. "But who else is aware that Billy, Lily and I have failed?" The Italian knew that if he could keep the Elder thinking and talking, then there was a chance he could resolve this situation.

Kukulkan returned to his curved stone stool. "You mean other Elders?"

The Italian nodded.

"No one else; other than Juno that is, I am sure the news has not even percolated through to the Shadowrealms yet. Well, reasonably sure," he added, "though there may be spies in the city that I do not know about."

Billy the Kid returned to stand behind Machiavelli. "Do you people trust _anyone?"_

"No," Kukulkan said simply.

"So if Lily, Billy and I were to return to Alcatraz, awaken the army and set it loose on the city, then our mission would be considered a success. And no one would be the wiser. And from what little I have heard of Juno, I doubt she would spread word of our failure with a new plan like this."

Kukulkan thought about it for a moment and then nodded. "That is true."

Machiavelli spread his arms wide. "And no one would need to know about our failure … and you would be spared any embarrassment. Even from Juno"

"You were also tasked with killing Perenelle, and she has escaped," the Elder reminded him. "How do you intend to find her?"

"I will not need to." Machiavelli's smile turned icy. "I know the Flamels. I have spent centuries studying them—especially the woman." Almost unconsciously, he rubbed his left hand, which bore a faint pattern of white scars, the reminders of their last encounter. "I can almost guarantee you that they will return to the island to try to stop us. It is their nature, and all men and women are slaves to their nature."

Kukulkan's feathered tail beat a gentle tattoo on the floor as he considered the idea. "Are you confident that you can defeat the Alchemyst and the Sorceress if they come back to Alcatraz?"

Machiavelli bit the inside of his cheek to keep a straight face. He knew he'd won. "The Flamels are weak and aging fast. There is a sphinx on the island that will drain their powers, and I can use some of the creatures already there to help me." He leaned forward and lowered his voice, forcing the Elder to lean forward as well. It was a trick he had learned half a millennium previously. "Any help you could give us would, of course, be gratefully appreciated."

Kukulkan nodded. "Of course. Yes, I can help." His smile revealed his black forked tongue. Running his fingers through his white beard, he added, "there are some creatures I can call upon to assist you."

"And what about me?" Billy asked softly.

"Go with the Italian," Kukulkan snapped. "Maybe he can teach you some manners."

"So you're not going to try to kill me today …," Billy teased.

"Billy!" Machiavelli glared at the American, who was in danger of irritating the Elder again.

Lily rubbed her temples as if asking she had a headache

"Not today," Kukulkan whispered, "but someday, yes. I have a long memory and I'll not forget what you did here. Now put the Macuahuitl back where you found it. And be careful with it; it is older than the humani." He sighed and looked at Lily "Juno should be here soon to pass your judgment" he told her, Lily frowned at the way he was staring at her, not like she was attractive or anything, but as if she was a puzzle.


	22. Deep Secrets

Disclaimer: i only own Lily, her father and her brother

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Chapter 22: Deep Secrets

Lily waited for the Elder to speak as Billy put the Macuahuitl back, when he didn't she asked "Can I ask why you are staring at me?"

Kukulkan shook his head, but not like he was saying no, more like he was clearing his head "You remind me of a friend of mine, and I wonder if your similarities to her are why Juno favors you. She has had many humani servants that she cared about, but she favors you far more than she ever did any of them."

Lily leaned forward "May I ask who this friend of yours was and why Juno cared about her?"

Kukulkan smiled a little "Her name was Eileithyia, she was Junos' daughter, she was beautiful, a free spirit who could never be tamed, she was one of the Next Generation, she could have had her pick of men and she chose a mortal man with no real power, she gave up her immortality to be with him,"

Lily frowned a little "She gave up her immortality? But… she was a Next Generation"

Kukulkan shrugged "No one ever actually figured out how she did it, she just did"

Lily nodded her head in acceptance "So how do I remind you of her?"

Kukulkan smiled and pulled out a picture and handed it too Lily, "Two years after she married, she and her husband had a child, a little girl. She sent that picture to her mother, father and me, I had watched her grow up and she had always thought of me as family. She wanted the three of us to know she was happy so she sent us this picture."

Lily stared at the picture and blinked a little. It was a picture of a young woman with long black hair and blue eyes holding a baby wrapped in pink blankets and smiling "How long ago was this?" she asked curious.

Kukulkan shrugged "She married 22 years ago"

Lily stiffened for a second "So her daughter is 20 or 21 years old?"

Kukulkan nodded "If the girl was still alive yeah, a few years ago Eileithyia, her husband, her daughter and her son, who was about 3 years younger than his sister, they all died, according to Juno, no one really knows how."

Juno walked in and said "According to me?"

Kukulkan looked at her and smiled "I was talking to Lily here about your daughter."

Juno froze and her eyes went wide. She looked at Lily, who looked away from the picture and met her eyes with a cold icy stare. "You knew, and you never told me." Lily said flatly.

Juno opened her mouth then closed it, she didn't say anything she just stared at Lily sadly. Lily walked up to Juno and showed her the picture "Your daughter" she said coldly pointing at the young woman. Juno just nodded "My mother" Lily stated. It wasn't a question but her posture and glare made it clear that she wanted Juno to say something, anything.

Juno bit her lip and nodded "Yes"

Machiavelli and Billy looked at each other wide eyed, this was a very shocking turn of events, Kukulkan looked a little taken aback but then he composed himself.

Lily gave an un-human like snarl. "You knew!" she spat at Juno "You knew I was your granddaughter and you never said a word? Not a hint?"

Juno sighed "I was trying to protect you-"

Lily laughed "You were trying to PROTECT me?" she took a deep breath and said "Tell me grandmother, explain to me in very small words, how awakening me, dragging me into this world, having me go to Alcatraz and the various other missions you've sent me on, explain to me how that's PROTECTING me!"

Juno winced but then looked at Lily angrily "I'm still an elder and you-"

Lily interrupted her, something Lily had never ever done before "You want to know what I think Juno, I think you dragged me into this world for petty selfish reasons, I think that in losing your daughter, and your grandson, you wanted to make absolutely sure, that you wouldn't lose me! I think that you awakened me, brought me into this new life and world, when my mother probably never wanted it for me, because you didn't have any other way of keeping the last piece of her safe unless you did all that but you also had to make it seem like I was just another humani pet, so you sent me on missions to make sure no one else ever found out. I bet my grandfather, whoever he is doesn't even know… does he?"

Juno flinched. Billy whispered "Uh Lily maybe-"

"Shut up Billy" Lily snapped. Not even looking at him. "Tell me I'm wrong grandmother! Tell me that nothing in what I just said is true"

Juno said nothing and Lily snorted "yeah, I didn't think so."

She walked past Juno and headed for the door, Juno whispered "Where are you going?"

Lily turned to glare at Juno, but when their eyes met, the anger in Lilys' face and voice, disappeared "I'm going to go do my job, and then when I'm done with that, I don't know, because I'm not sure I ever want to see you again."

And with that Lily left, Machiavelli and Billy followed quickly after, and they watched as Lily went ahead with no real destination in mind, just trying to walk away from the knowledge she had just been given.

Billy patted Machiavelli's shoulder. "Well, I think that went really well, don't you?"

The Italian stood and brushed off his ruined suit. "There is a lot I could teach you about negotiation." He said staring after Lily

"I never negotiate," Billy said firmly.

"A word of advice, my young friend: it is always a mistake to anger an Elder. All he said was that he was not going to kill you _today."_

"Well, since we're in the advice business, let me trade you some," Billy said. "An old gunslinger once told me that you never draw a gun unless you intend to use it, and you never_—ever_—tell someone you are going to draw your gun. You just do it." He smiled, revealing his prominent front teeth. "It's a big mistake to tell someone what you are going to do to them … they might decide to do it to you first." He turned to look back at Kukulkan's home. "When all this is done and dusted, he and I will have a little conversation, a serious conversation …"

Machiavelli bowed. "I like how you think. Now, how do we get back to the island?"

Billy held up his cell phone. "I'll call Black Hawk."

"I'm sure he'll be surprised to find us all still alive."

The American immortal shook his head. "Probably not. Black Hawk knows I'm impossible to kill. He's tried it often enough. And he knows Lily is a force of nature that you don't mess with." He stopped as a sudden thought struck him. "What happens if your master dies? Do you lose your immortality?"

Machiavelli shook his head. "No, you remain immortal. There is no one to command you … and no one to revoke your immortality."

"That's interesting." Billy said slowly. "Have you ever thought about killing your master?"

"Never," Machiavelli said.

"Why not?" Billy asked.

"In case there comes a day when I want my immortality removed, a day when I want to age and die." Machiavelli then sighed "We should probably go catch up with her, the mood she's in, she might very well walk and swim all the way to Alcatraz"

Billy sighed himself, and quit avoiding the subject of what they had just heard "Finding out that her mother was not who she said she would be, and that her grandmother had brought her into a dangerous world to keep her close but in the dark, I wouldn't put it past her at all,"

"I can't even begin to imagine what's going through her head right now." Machiavelli said.

Billy sighed again "Pain, hurt, betrayal… she tried to find her mothers family after the accident, but she couldn't find anything for 4 years, she gave up shortly before she went to Paris, having the truth stab her like that, its probably going to leave her confused for a while." When Machiavelli looked at him startled Billy smiled "for nearly 2 years we saw each other almost every other day, Juno had her working with me on almost everything, we became very close, I've come to see her like a little sister, I probably know her better than even Juno does,"

Machiavelli raised an eyebrow "Did the two of you ever consider becoming a couple?"

Billy blanched "No! Not ever! She wasn't my type, and I wasn't hers." He said as he dialed Black Hawks number.

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alright i don't know what you thought of that little twist, weither you liked it hated it or just want to shoot me, anyway, i had the idea a day before i read the warlock so no i'm not trying to make her anything more than what she is, and she **is** human, she just has a little bit of Elder blood in her.

Review please! and tell me in your honest opinion what you thought of this chapter


	23. Remembering Family

Disclaimer:i only own Lily, her father and her brother.

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Chapter 23: Remembering Family

Standing at the prow of a speedboat bouncing across the icy waters of San Francisco Bay, Niccolò Machiavelli closed his eyes and allowed the salt spray to hide the sudden tears on his face.

When Machiavelli had still been mortal, his wife, Marietta, had once accused him of being an uncaring inhuman monster. "You will die lonely and alone, because you don't care for anyone," she'd screamed at him, and thrown an antique Roman plate at his head. He'd long since forgotten what the argument was about, but he'd never forgotten the words. And whenever he thought of them, he remembered Marietta, whom he had loved dearly and still missed, and he wept for her. He never minded the tears: they reminded him that he was still human.

He'd once thought that being immortal was an extraordinary gift.

And in the beginning it was. He had all the time in the world to plot and scheme, to lay plans that would take generations to complete. Working behind the scenes, he had shaped the destinies of a dozen European and Russian nations, had organized wars and revolutions and arranged peace treaties. He had backed leaders, funded inventors, invested in artists and designers. Then he had sat back and watched his grand plans unfold. But somewhere amid all the scheming and plotting, he had stopped thinking about the individuals he was manipulating. He thought of the humani—the humans—merely as objects to be pushed about like pieces on a chessboard.

He had served his Elder master devotedly, doing as he was told even when he disagreed with his orders. Initially, he had believed—because it was the logical conclusion—that the earth would be a better place if the Dark Elders returned.

Now he was not so sure.

He hadn't been sure for the past two hundred years.

And today … today everything had changed. The turning point had come when he had sat facing Quetzalcoatl the Feathered Serpent and listened while the arrogant Elder almost casually determined whether Machiavelli should live or die. Shockingly, the only reason he had been allowed to live was because Quetzalcoatl felt that he owed Machiavelli's master a favor. No consideration was given to the centuries of loyal service Machiavelli had performed for the Elders. His skills, his knowledge, his experience, were all dismissed.

His life had been spared by nothing more than chance.

And sitting in that chair, arguing for his life, it had struck him that on far too many occasions he had acted just like Quetzalcoatl. He had passed judgment on the lives of countless men, women and children he had never met and would never know. He had made decisions that would shape their lives and the lives of their descendants for generations to come.

Marietta was right: he didn't care for anyone.

But she was also wrong. He had always cared for her and adored his children, especially his son Guido, who had been born a few short years before Machiavelli's "death." And Lily, his Lily, the woman who had gotten him to move past Marietta and start a new relationship.

What had happened? What had changed him?

It all came back to the same answer: _immortality_.

Immortality had transformed him utterly, had warped his thinking, had made him the uncaring inhuman monster Marietta had accused him of being long before he actually was. He had stopped thinking of humans as individuals—he thought of them as masses of people, as either enemies or friends.

He had become blinded by his own ambition. In his arrogance he had thought that he was different from the humans, that he was, in some way, like the Elders. But today, he had realized that the Elders thought as much of him as he thought of the rest of the human population.

And now he was on another mission for the Elders, one that would affect the lives of millions of people all across the globe. He had tinkered with the destiny of nations; now he was about to reshape the future of the world.

"I'm not liking what I'm seeing," Billy the Kid drawled, taking up a position alongside the Italian.

Machiavelli looked toward the fast-approaching island. "Is something wrong?"

"Not over there. Here," Billy said. He shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans and pitched his voice just above the hum of the engine and the splashing of the waves so that only Machiavelli could hear it. "You've got a look on your face that I don't like."

Machiavelli composed himself. "A look?"

"Yep. The look of someone who is thinking deep thoughts. Dark thoughts. Stupid thoughts."

"And you would be an expert on facial expressions?" Machiavelli said sarcastically.

"Sure am," Billy said, blue eyes twinkling. "Kept me alive long enough."

"And what do you think my face reveals?" Machiavelli asked. He'd always been able to keep his face expressionless and was irritated that this uneducated young immortal had managed to read him so easily. Perhaps he had underestimated the American.

Billy took a hand out of his back pocket and rubbed it across his chin, stubble rasping. "You've never been in a gunfight?" he asked.

Machiavelli blinked in surprise. "Don't be ridiculous. Of course not."

"What about a duel? Didn't you have duels in Europe—swords and pistols at dawn, that sort of thing?"

The Italian nodded. "I've attended some."

"I bet you always knew who was going to lose."

Machiavelli considered, then nodded. "Yes. I suppose I did."

"How could you tell?" Billy asked.

"From the expression on their face, the way they stood, the set of their shoulders …"

"Exactly. They expected to lose. And therefore, they lost. Now, I was never a great shot, and never very fast. All that quick-draw nonsense comes from books written about me, and most of those are lies. But I always expected to win. _Always_. And I made sure to associate with others who expected to win." He paused and added, "People who start thinking deep dark thoughts in the middle of a war start expecting to lose. And they end up dead because they're not thinking straight, they're not focused."

Machiavelli's head tilted in a slight bow. "That is a very astute observation. And do you have a suggestion?"

Billy nodded toward the island. "Let's stay focused on the task at hand. Let's do what our Elder masters have commanded and awaken these sleeping beasts, before we start thinking deep dark thoughts."

"We?"

"We." Billy smiled. "I bet you could teach me a lot."

Machiavelli nodded, surprised. "And I believe I could learn a lot from you."

Billy looked over to where Lily was standing; her back turned to them and sighed "which one of us should go talk to her?"

Machiavelli looked at Lily and smiled a little "I'll go talk to her"

Billy nodded, as Machiavelli started walking away he said "oh, and Mac"

Machiavelli turned to look at Billy with a raised eyebrow, he had told Billy he hated being called that.

Billy looked Machiavelli in the eyes "if you **ever** hurt her, you better hope your elder can save you from my wrath"

Machiavelli gulped a bit and nodded.

Lily was staring out at the San Francisco Bay and trying to hold in her tears, Juno was her Grandmother, one of the people from her mothers hidden history, She and James had only asked their mother about her family a few times, but she would always get this sad look in her eyes, or she would start crying, they had learned quickly to never ask about their mothers family.

Lily had finally asked her father why her mom always got so sad when asked about her family, her dad had smiled sadly and said "Someday, when you're older, she'll tell you."

On the day of Lily's sixteenth birthday, her mother, Ella, had said that she wanted to tell Lily something when they got home, but they had never made it home.

Lily guessed this is what her mother had wanted to tell her, the truth of her mothers' family. The reason behind Ellas' sadness when asked about her family.

Lily squeezed her eyes shut, how much had her mother sacrificed to keep her and James safe? She had stopped talking to her family at some point for certain, she had given up her parents, her immortality, her powers, to have a normal life with her husband and children.

A few tears escaped Lily's eyes, in all her time with the dark elders, she had never once doubted why she was with them, not for the promise of making the world a better place, not for money or power or her life, but because she had been so bitter and angry over the deaths of her parents and little brother, that she no longer cared what happened to the world.

But now, now she felt as though her mother had come back from the dead and slapped her. she had been so blinded by her anger, that she had lied to herself over and over again, saying that the humans would be better off dead or in chains, that the Elders would make them unable to hurt themselves and others. That the world they lived in, was no place that a child should grow up. Her mother would be so ashamed of her, who was she to make that choice? who was she to play god? but it was too late to back down now, and whatever happened next, she would do her best to survive.

Lily sighed and gripped the railing on the boat a little tighter. Then she felt a hand gently placed over hers, she smiled before turning to Niccolò.

Machiavelli smiled at her "You okay?"

Lily took a deep breath and let it out slowly, looking at the water she said bluntly "No, I'm not okay." she took another deep breath and looked at Niccolò again and with a smile she said "But ask me again tomorrow."

Machiavelli smiled and wrapped his arms around her lovingly. Lily wrapped her arms around his waist and said "I love you Niccolò."

Machiavelli tensed up a bit and said "Lily-"

Lily put a finger over his lips "I'm not expecting anything; I just wanted to say it. I want you to know how I feel about you, no matter what."

The boat bumped against the dock and Black Hawk pulled them in against the wooden pilings. "All ashore," he called. Lily and Machiavelli pulled away from each other.

Billy the Kid leapt onto the wooden gangway and then stooped to offer his hand to the Italian. Machiavelli hesitated a moment, then took it, and Billy hauled him up. Billy and Machiavelli then helped Lily up. Black Hawk immediately revved the engine, water churning white as he backed away.

"Are you not joining us?" Billy asked.

"You must be joking! I wouldn't set foot on this island. It is a cursed place." Even as he was speaking, dozens of women's faces appeared just below the surface of the water. Iridescent fishtails flickered. "Call me when you're done. Will you be long?"

Billy looked at Machiavelli and raised his eyebrows.

"A couple of hours." Machiavelli said.

Billy the Kid grinned. "Time enough to change the world."

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Review please :D


	24. Sphinx

Disclaimer: I only own Lily

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Chapter 24: Sphinx

"Did I ever tell you," Billy the Kid began, "that I was afraid of nothing?"

"No, I don't believe you did," Machiavelli said tiredly. He didn't think he'd ever met anyone who talked as much as Billy.

Lily smiled a little and said "Nope, I don't think you've ever said that to me either Billy"

"Good. Because that would have been a lie, and I really don't like to lie." The older American pointed with his chin at the creature standing outside the building with the American eagle and the words _Administration Building_ over the doors. "There's no shame in admitting that I'm afraid of this … _thing_. What is it?"

"It is a sphinx," Machiavelli said quietly. "Body of a lion, wings of an eagle, head of a beautiful young woman. And try not to irritate her, Billy. This creature would have you for a snack."

"She is one ugly lion.…"

"Billy," Machiavelli began.

"And she's got mangy wings.…"

"Billy!" Lily said warningly.

"And she stinks like she's just stepped in something."

"I also have excellent hearing," the sphinx said. Her tiny female head moved from Billy to Machiavelli, to Lily and then back to Billy again. A forked black tongue flickered between her thin lips, dancing in the air between them. The American immortal's eyes crossed, trying to focus on it.

"And your breath smells," Billy muttered.

The creature's long flat pupils dilated. "Once you've done what you came to do, immortal, you should not linger here," she rasped.

"Why not?" Billy asked defiantly.

Lily smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand.

"I'm hungry," the sphinx whispered, tongue flickering.

"Shall we begin?" Machiavelli said quickly, before Billy could reply. Reaching under his coat, he pulled out a single sheet of paper and waved it in the air. "I've got my instructions here."

The creature's small head turned to Machiavelli and then looked back at Billy again. "Are you sure you need this one?" The tongue flickered through the American's greasy hair. "Tasty."

"Yes," Machiavelli said. "I need him."

"And afterward? Maybe you could leave him for me," she suggested in a wheedling tone. "A little treat."

"I'll see," Machiavelli said. Billy opened his mouth, but Machiavelli dropped his hand onto the back of his neck and squeezed hard, and whatever the American had been about to say came out as a strangled squawk. Lily snickered. "Come now," Machiavelli continued. "Take us to the cells. My instructions are to start with the amphibious creatures. I have to remove the sleeping spell and release them into the bay. Nereus and his daughters will guide them toward the city. Once they reach San Francisco and move into the streets, Quetzalcoatl's agents will hijack one of the tourist boats and bring it over here. We'll load up the rest of the creatures and sail them back to the mainland."

"Will this take long?" the sphinx asked.

"Why, you in a hurry to go somewhere?" Billy asked.

Lily smacked him upside the head.

The creature's mouth opened to reveal a maw of needle-sharp teeth. "I've not had breakfast yet." The sphinx looked at Machiavelli. "Arrogance always tastes sweet, like chicken. If you will not give him to me, then let me buy him from you. I will give you a fortune for this humani."

"How much of a fortune?" Machiavelli asked with a smile.

"Hey!" Billy said indignantly.

"How much do you want?" the sphinx asked seriously.

"I'm not for sale!" Billy snapped.

Lily snickered again.

"We'll talk about it later," Machiavelli said to the sphinx. "We must hurry; time is moving on. Our masters want these creatures loose in the city by noon."

The sphinx turned and padded away. "Go through these doors. I will meet you downstairs," she said, and then Billy realized that the creature was too big to fit through the double doors. Her head turned at an unnatural angle and she flicked her long black tongue at Billy. He stuck out his tongue in return. "Like chicken …" She padded away, claws clicking on the stones.

Lily snickered "Yes sticking your tongue out is very mature." she said to Billy.

He stuck his tongue out at her for a reply, before turning to Machiavelli.

"That wasn't funny," Billy hissed to the Italian. "You know these Elders and Next Generation have no sense of humor. She thought you were serious."

"How do you know I wasn't?" the Italian asked. Lily smirked.

"I knew you were going to say that," Billy said. He watched as Machiavelli stopped in the doorway and turned to look at the city across the bay. "Having second thoughts?" he asked.

Machiavelli shook his head. "Just taking a last look." He turned to Billy. "Once we do this, nothing will ever be the same again. We will be outlaws."

Billy the Kid grinned. "I've been an outlaw all my life. It's not so bad."

Lily smiled "Come on boys, its time to go change the world!"

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Review Please! and now we move into The Warlock!


	25. Bad Smells and Hurting Hearts

Disclaimer: i only own Lily. R&R please

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Chapter 25: Bad Smells and Hurting Hearts

"Oh man, it stinks down here." Billy the Kid sneezed loudly. "I mean really stinks." He pressed the heels of his hands against his watering eyes and sneezed again.

Lily gagged vilently and muttered "oh my god I think I'm going to puke!"

"Actually, it's not too bad. I've smelled worse," Niccolò Machiavelli said softly.

The two men and the young woman were standing in a tunnel deep beneath Alcatraz prison. Water dripped from the low ceiling and small waves lapped around their ankles. The air reeked of rotting fish and fetid seaweed, mingled with the pungent tang of bird droppings and the acid odor of bat guano. The only light came from the opening high above their heads, a startling square of blue against the blackness.

The tall elegant man in the dust-stained suit breathed deeply. "Actually, it reminds me of home."

"Home?" Billy coughed. He pulled a patterned red bandana out of the back pocket of his jeans and tied it over his nose and mouth. "Does your home usually smell like a wild animal's bathroom?"

Lily gagged again and said in a nasally voice as she pinched her nose shut. "Wild animals bathroom? It smells like a bunch of rotten garbage!"

Machiavelli's teeth flashed in a quick smile. "Well, Rome and Venice-ah, sweet Venice-in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were smelly ... though not as bad as Paris in the eighteenth century or London in the middle of the nineteenth. I was there in 1858; the air was so foul it was virtually unbreathable. It was called the Great Stink."

"Can't say I'd like that," Billy said. "I like fresh air, and lots of it." He snapped his fingers and the rancid air was filled with the exotic odor of red pepper. A wispy curl of deep reddish-purple smoke wrapped around his fingertips, and then a globe of translucent red fire rose from his hands to bob at head height. It bounced and floated like a soap bubble as it was pulled by the salty sea air that whistled down the tunnel. "An Apache medicine man taught me that," Billy said proudly. "Not bad, eh?"

"Not bad at all." Machiavelli brought his hands together and the scent of Billy's aura was swept away with the stench of serpent. A blaze of stark white light lit up the tunnel in sharp relief. The red bubble popped and burst. "My master, Aten, taught me that," Machiavelli said.

Billy the Kid quickly rubbed his hands together, tendrils of his purple-red aura dripping into the water at his ankles. "Nice," he admitted, his voice muffled behind the bandana.

Lily rolled her eyes "alright boys out your auras back in your pants! We don't need you two competing for who is more manly." she snapped her fingers and the scent of lotus blossoms filled the tunnel. Billy looked at Lily with a raised eyebrow and she shrugged "I hate the smell of snake"

Machiavelli glanced sidelong at the younger man. "You look like a bandit, wearing that bandana."

"I think it suits me."

Lily rolled her eyes "men!' she muttered silently.

The two men, one in a ruined suit and expensive Italian shoes, the other in jeans and beat-up boots, splashed down the tunnel. The white light kept pace with them, sending red-eyed rats skittering into the darkness.

"I hate rats," Billy muttered.

"They have their uses," Machiavelli said softly. "They make excellent spies."

"Spies?" Billy the Kid stopped. He sounded confused. "Spies?"

Lily also looked confused and stopped with Billy.

The Italian had walked on but stopped as well to look back at Billy and Lily. "Have you never looked through an animal's eyes? Either of you?"

"No. I had a Navajo medicine woman tell me she could look through an eagle's eyes, but I wasn't entirely sure I believed her until she was able to tell me that thirty miles away, a lawman was putting together a posse to hunt me. She said it would take them two days to find me. And sure enough, two days later, they did."

Lily shook her head "Juno taught me many things over the past 3 years, but no I never looked into an animals eyes. She taught me how too look through a humans eyes, but that was it"

"Projecting your will into an animal-or a human, for that matter-is fairly simple. Did your master teach you nothing?" Machiavelli asked Billy.

Billy tilted his head to one side. "Guess not." Then he added quietly, almost shyly, "Do you think you could teach me?"

The Italian immortal looked at the American in surprise. "Teach you?"

Billy shrugged uncomfortably. "Well, you've been around for a long time. You're ... well, you're medieval. That's really old."

"Thanks."

"And you Europeans have all been trained by your ancient masters..."

"Your own master, Quetza ... Quezza ..."

"Quetzalcoatl," Billy finished.

"He is as ancient as my master. Quetaz ... Quezta ..."

"Call him Kukulkan."

"Kukulkan is an immensely powerful Elder. You heard him: he was on Danu Talis when it fell. He could teach you wonders. More, much, much more than I ever could."

Billy shoved his hands in the back pockets of his jeans and suddenly looked far younger than his years. "Well, to be perfectly honest, he's never really taught me anything. I saved his life and he made me immortal as a reward. And then I don't think I saw him for another fifty years or so. Anything I learned about the Elders and my own immortality, I found out for myself, discovering things here and there."

Machiavelli nodded. "My own path was not dissimilar. My master left me to my own devices for half a century. Surely your research led you to other immortals?"

"Not many, and not for a long time." Billy grinned. "I didn't even realize I was immortal until the day I fell off my horse on a trail on the Sierra Madre and rolled into a canyon. I could hear my bones breaking on the way down. I lay in the bottom of that ravine and watched this purple-red smoke rise off my skin, and I could feel my bones crunch and slot back together again. I saw my cuts heal and the skin mend, leaving not so much as a scar behind. The only evidence I had that I'd fallen down a mountainside was that my clothes were ripped to shreds."

"Your aura healed you."

"I had no name for it then." Billy held up his hand and wisps of his purple-red aura curled off his fingertips. "But once that happened, I started to see the auras around people. It got so I could tell good from bad, powerful from weak, healthy from sick, just by looking at the colors around their bodies."

"I believe all humans once had this ability."

"And then one day I was in Deadwood, South Dakota, when I saw this amazingly powerful aura-steel-gray-wrapped around a man climbing onto a train. I had no idea who he was, but I actually ran up to the train and rapped on the window. And when he looked out at me, I saw his eyes-the same gray as his aura-widen and I instantly knew that he could see the color around me. I knew then that I was not alone, that there were other immortals like me."

"Did you ever find out who the man was?"

"A century later I met him again: it was Daniel Boone."

Machiavelli nodded. "I have heard his name among the list of American immortals."

"Is my name on that list?"

"It is not," Machiavelli said.

"I'm not sure whether I should be insulted or grateful."

"There is an old Celtic saying I am particularly fond of: `It is better to exist unknown to the law.' "

Billy nodded. "I like that!"

Lily sat Fasinated by all this, she had heard Billy's story before of course, as he had heard hers, but it never got tiring listening to it, she looked at Machiavelli "what about my name?"

Niccolò shook his head "no, quite honestly the first time I heard of you was the day we met, that was when my master told me you would be helping me."

Lily shrugged "that doesn't surprise me, if Juno wanted to keep me secret she wouldn't have let every elder know of my existence."

"It is a master's duty to train his servant," Machiavelli said to Billy. "Kukulkan should have trained you."

Billy shrugged again. "Well, it's not entirely his fault. I've always had a bit of a problem with authority. Got me into trouble when I was a youngster, kept me in trouble all my life. Never really got over it. Black Hawk trained me-when he wasn't trying to kill me, that is. He taught me the little I know." Billy paused and added, "There is so much I've only heard about or read about. So much I want to see." He paused again and then said softly, "I want to see all the Shadowrealms."

"There are some you do not want to go to," Machiavelli said automatically.

"But there are many more I'd like to see."

"Some are wonderful," the Italian agreed.

"I could learn a lot from you," Billy said. "And maybe even teach you a bit in return."

"Possibly. However," Machiavelli added, "I haven't taken a student in a long time."

"Why not?"

"Trust me," Machiavelli said, "you really do not want to know..." He stopped, tilting his head back, long thin nose testing the air. "Billy," he said quickly, "I will take you as a student and teach you all that I know-on one condition," he added.

"What's the condition?" Billy asked warily.

"That you keep your mouth shut for the next ten minutes."

Even as he was speaking, the fetid reek of dead fish and rotting seaweed rolled down the tunnel.

And a monster appeared out of the shadows.

Billy the Kid took an involuntary step backward. "Oh man, you are one ugly-"

"Billy!" Lily snapped.

* * *

Juno was not looking at the man who now occupied her home in San Francisco.

"You kept her from me Juno, she's my granddaughter too." The man said calmly.

Juno laughed disgustedly "The hell she is! You left our daughter and me to do as we pleased while you went off making bastard children with women you claimed were your **wives.** All the while you were convincing me I was your one true love, but you weren't there when our daughter got married you weren't there when our granddaughter was born! You weren't there when our grandson was born! You weren't even there for our daughters' funeral. I sacrificed everything for you! My family! My home! But you still left me alone! She's mine, and mine alone! You don't know her! You never knew her! You never even knew your own daughter!" tears were running down Juno's face as she turned to face the man who was sitting in her living room.

The man sighed "I know I made some mistakes with you and Eileithyia-"

"SOME?" Juno shouted "Try many! Too many! Far too many Aten!"

Aten looked at Juno sadly as he stood and walked over to her. "Juno, you know I loved our daughter, you know I love you-"

Juno pulled away as Aten reached her "There was a time when I believed you loved me Aten, there was a time when I believed I was your only love, I let you have your affairs, your bastards, because I knew you would always come home to me and your daughter. But now, now I don't know what too think Aten, I don't know what to say! You stopped coming home a long time ago Aten, I love you, I will always love you, I wouldn't have fought with my mother and father for the wish to marry you if I didn't love you-"

Aten cut Juno off with a kiss "give me one more chance to prove my love for you"

Juno shook her head "that's one chance; I don't think I can give you Aten." She turned her back to him "I think you should leave now Aten"

Aten turned Juno around and kissed her again "I'll never stop hoping that you will forgive me or that I will one day earn your forgiveness." he said before he left. Juno then began crying.


	26. Discussions of Sea Monsters

Disclaimer:I don't own, if i did Niccolo would have a girlfriend already! so would Billy quite frankly.

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Chapter 26: Discussions of Sea Monsters

"This is Nereus," Niccolò Machiavelli said quickly to Billy the Kid. His left hand was resting lightly on the young man's shoulder, but his fingers were locked over the nerve in the side of his neck. Every time Billy opened his mouth to say something, Machiavelli squeezed, silencing him. "Billy, this is the Old Man of the Sea, one of the most powerful of all the Elders." He released the pressure on the American immortal's neck for an instant.

"Pleased to meet you, I'm sure," Billy squawked.

Lily snickered a little at Billy and smiled at Nereus.

The harsh white light Machiavelli had created still lit up the tunnel. It revealed a short broad man with a head of thick shoulder-length hair and a tightly curled beard. An ugly burn marred his deeply tanned forehead, and there was a smattering of similar burns across his chest and shoulders. A sleeveless jerkin of overlapping kelp leaves held together with seaweed covered his chest, and he held a spiked stone trident in his left hand. He moved forward and the white light dipped and illuminated the lower half of his body. Machiavelli felt Billy draw in a shocked breath, and once more his fingers tightened on the nerve in the American's neck to prevent him from commenting. The Old Man of the Sea was only human from the waist up; overlong octopus legs twisted and writhed beneath him.

"It is an honor to meet you," Machiavelli offered.

"And you are the immortal human the Italian." Nereus's voice was a liquid bubbling. "The one they call the King Maker."

Machiavelli bowed. "That is a title I have not heard in a long time."

"That is what your master called you," the Old Man of the Sea continued.

"My master is very generous," the immortal said smoothly.

"Your master is very dangerous. And not very pleased with you. However, that is not my concern. I have been instructed to assist you, King Maker. What do you want?"

"I was sent here to loose the creatures in the cells into San Francisco. My instructions are to start with the amphibious creatures and release them into the bay. I was told that you or your daughters would guide them toward the city."

Nereus's voice was wet and sticky. "You have the words to awaken the creatures?"

Machiavelli held up a high-resolution color photograph. "My master sent this to me. It is from the Pyramid of Unas."

Nereus nodded. Three of his legs rose into the air and waved in front of the Italian. "Let me see."

Machiavelli took a step back from the Elder's grasping tentacles.

"Do you not trust me, Immortal?" Nereus snapped.

Machiavelli turned the photograph to face the creature. "I do not want to get the images wet," he explained. "I printed this on an ink-jet printer. If it gets wet, the ink will run. And I most certainly do not want to disappoint my master any further."

"Hold it up. Let me see." Nereus leaned forward and squinted. Then, reluctantly, he reached into a pocket on his jerkin and removed a plastic Ziploc bag. Inside the bag was an eyeglasses case. Opening it, Nereus popped a pair of rimless half glasses on his nose and looked at the image again. "Old Kingdom," he muttered, then nodded. "These are the Utterances. Be careful, Italian: there is great power in them. What do you want to release first?"

Machiavelli let go of Billy and reached into his pocket for a scrap of paper. "My master also gave me instructions," he said, unfolding the page to reveal a series of dots and dashes.

"Do we have a kraken?" Billy asked quickly. "Could we unleash a kraken?" Nereus and Machiavelli turned to look at the young American immortal. "What?" he asked, looking from one to the other. He turned to Machiavelli. "What?"

The Italian's gray eyes blazed a warning.

"We do not have a kraken," Nereus said. "Besides, even if I did have a kraken, they're only about this big." He spread his thumb and forefinger roughly an inch apart.

"I thought they were bigger."

"Mariners' tales. And you know sailors are terrible liars."

"What do you have?" Machiavelli asked. "I need something dramatic. I thought we would start with something theatrical, something that will make an impact on the city, something to focus their attention."

Lily rolled her eyes "Men and their theatrics, they always need something big exiting and destructive." She whispered under her breath

Billy turned to look at Lily and grinned "but you love us anyway"

"yes but I still ask myself why" Lily muttered.

Nereus considered for a moment and then he smiled, revealing his hideous teeth. "I do have the Lotan."

Machiavelli, Lily and Billy looked at him blankly.

"_The_ Lotan," Nereus said.

The three immortals shook their heads. "I have no idea what that is," Machiavelli admitted.

"Doesn't sound scary to me," Billy said.

"Doesn't even sound like a monster to me" Lily stated

"It's a seven-headed sea dragon."

Lily raised an eyebrow "Wow."

Machiavelli nodded. "That might work."

"It'll certainly get their attention," Billy muttered.


	27. Another American

Disclaimer:I don't own anything from: the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel Series

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Chapter 27: Another American

"Now, here's an odd trio," Lily heard Dee murmur.

Niccolò Machiavelli, still managing to look elegant in a soiled black suit, stopped before the English Magician. The Italian looked over the trio, nodding briefly at Josh, before he turned his attention to Dee. "Did I hear you correctly, or did my ears deceive me? No, you are not _fine_, Dr. Dee," the Italian said in his precise and accentless English. "You have _that_ look in your eyes."

"What look?" Dee challenged.

"The look you always get when you're about to do something incredibly stupid and unnaturally destructive."

Lily snickered evilly as she stood next to Billy

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Dee said. "I've had a touch of seasickness."

"Oh, he _was_ seasick," Virginia Dare said with a quick grin. Striding forward, she stretched out her hand to the Italian. "Since the doctor has completely forgotten his manners and is too rude to do the introductions, I'll do them myself. I am Virginia Dare."

Machiavelli took her hand in his, then leaned over it, almost, but not quite, pressing his lips to the back of her fingers. "An honor to meet you, Miss Dare. Your reputation precedes you."

Virginia turned to Billy and her smile widened. "Good to see you again, old friend. How are you doing?"

"Just fine, Miss Dare," Billy said. He stepped forward to give her a friendly hug. "And all the better for seeing you."

"You two know one another?" Dee said in surprise, asking the question Josh was thinking. Then Dee realized that of course, it made sense—the American immortals would have met one another at some stage over the centuries.

"Oh, the Kid and I have had some adventures together," Virginia said, winking at the young man. "Isn't that right, Billy?"

"Not sure I'd call them adventures," Billy said with an almost shy smile. "They usually ended up with me getting shot or stuck with something sharp."

"And me rescuing you," Virginia reminded him.

"Funny, I always thought it was the other way around," Billy said.

Virginia turned to look at Lily, there was a moment of silence and then big grins broke out on both girls' faces and they were soon hugging and laughing "Oh thank god you're here Ginia! I was going to go mad with all the testosterone I was being surrounded with!" Lily said with a smile.

Virginia laughed "oh come now surely that's an overstatement?"

Machiavelli turned his attention back to Josh and stretched out his hand. Josh took it, feeling the strength of the Italian's grip. "I am pleased to see you again," Machiavelli said softly, and it took Josh a moment before he realized that the man had spoken to him in Italian and that he had fully understood it. "I'm surprised to find that you remain with our English friend."

"I heard that," Dee snapped. "I do speak Italian!"

"I know." Machiavelli smiled. "I was just reminding young Mr. Newman that he still has choices."

Josh bit the inside of his cheek and struggled to keep a straight face. "It's good to see you, too," Josh replied in English. He genuinely liked the Italian, much more than he liked Dee. Machiavelli possessed the humanity that Dee lacked.

Then he was pulled into a powerful hug by the young woman who was two inches shorter than him, and then gently kissed on the cheek, Lilys eyes met his in a warm kind smile "How have you been Josh?"

Josh smiled brightly, he liked Lily as well, she was the one who was newest to this world, and who was just as honest with him as Machiavelli had been, she not only had the humanity that Dee lacked, but she had the people skills as well, she was genuinely concerned about his well being. "I've been better Lily"

Lily kissed Josh's cheek again "I hope you've thought about what I said Josh."

Josh smiled but didn't answer her "How did you both get here?" he asked Lily and Niccolò. "Leygate or …"

"Airplane." Machiavelli turned to Billy and beckoned him closer. "This," he said, "is Josh Newman. A Gold," he added significantly.

"And one of the prophesied twins." Lily said with a smile

Billy shook Josh's hand, and Josh was surprised by how cold and rough the Kid's hands were. Josh also discovered that he was slightly taller than the Kid.

"Never thought I'd meet a Gold," Billy said.

"Never thought I'd get to meet a legend," Josh said. He suddenly found himself grinning like a fool, and he made a desperate attempt to keep calm. He'd only vaguely known about Dare and Machiavelli before he met them, and had never heard of Dee or Lily, but Billy the Kid was different. This was a genuine American legend. Someone he'd grown up hearing stories about.

The Kid looked almost embarrassed. "I'm not that much of a legend, really. Now, Wild Bill, Jesse James, Geronimo or Cochise, on the other hand—they were legends."

"Well, I think you're a legend," Josh insisted.

Billy grinned. "Well, you're a bit of a legend yourself, aren't you. One of the legendary twins—one to save the world, one to destroy it," he drawled. "Which one are you?"

"I have no idea," Josh said seriously. Although he'd been hearing about the prophecy for the past week, he'd never really stopped to consider the words. _One to save the world, one to destroy it_. He hoped he was the one to save it … but that would mean that his sister destroyed the world. The thought left him stunned.

"Come," Machiavelli interrupted, "we should hurry." The Italian turned and motioned to the group to follow him. He strode back toward an archway over a path that led to the water tower. "Nereus is about to awaken the Lotan," he said, the brickwork echoing and reechoing his voice. "I want to be there to see it happen."

Josh fell into step alongside Billy the Kid and Lily. "What's a Lotan?" he asked.

Billy grinned. "A seven-headed sea monster."

Josh turned to look back across the bay. A seven-headed sea monster would destroy the city. And then the pieces clicked together in his head. Was he the twin destined to destroy the world? "Seven heads?" he mumbled. "That I gotta see."

"Me too," Billy said. "I wanted him to awaken a kraken, but apparently they're too small."

Lily spread her thumb and forefinger an inch apart "that big" she said with a grin.

Josh laughed.


	28. A White Lotus Blossom

Disclaimer:i own nothing in this chapter.

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Chapter 28: A White Lotus Blossom

Aten, the Lord of Danu Talis, stood on the roof of the Palace of the Sun with his wife Juno, by his side and watched the vimanas rise out of the mouth of Huracan, the volcano prison.

"And none escaped?" he asked, raising his head slightly.

"None, brother. My anpu captured them easily."

"And the hook-handed man?"

"Separated from the others, as you ordered."

Aten turned to face his other companion. Once, it would have been impossible to tell them apart, but recently the Change that overtook all the Elders had started to work on Aten, elongating his skull, nose and jaw, thickening his lips and pulling his eyes back into his head, giving them a pronounced slant. He now wore a heavy metal robe with a deep hood and long sleeves to hide his deformities.

"We should kill them now and be done with it," Anubis said. The Change was also beginning to claim his body. Like his brother, Anubis had once been extraordinarily handsome, but now his teeth had lengthened to resemble those of the creatures he created in his underground laboratories, and the texture and hue of his copper-colored skin was coal black in places, etched through with tiny red veins. Speaking was becoming difficult, and both brothers knew that soon it would become impossible. Unlike Aten, who attempted to conceal the Change, Anubis-like so many of the Elders-exhibited his as a badge of honor.

"Kill them?" Aten said in surprise.

"Kill them. Always, the quickest solution to a problem is to remove it."

"But if we kill them, brother," Aten said, "then we lose the most extraordinary opportunity of our lives. Abraham says they are from the future."

Anubis attempted to spit but failed and ended up hissing between his teeth. "We should kill him, too." He joined his brother and they looked across the circular city toward the volcano.

"Where is your scientific curiosity?" Aten asked lightly. "I remember when you were little, you were endlessly curious."

Anubis spread his hands. His fingers were curling into claws, the nails long and black. "And look where it got me. I am becoming a monster. I am convinced my experiments have somehow poisoned me and affected my Change. Surely we should look alike, brother?"

"Abraham claims that the Change is simply a revelation of our true selves," Aten said mildly.

"So what does that make me?" Anubis growled.

Juno covered her mouth politely to hide her giggle, The Change had already happened too her, and it had made her more beautiful, but had changed her features so she didn't have much of a family resemblance to her parents or older brother and sister. She was extraordinarily beautiful; hair that was the blackest black with little purple flowers weaved and braided into her hair. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean, and her skin was a very light shade of apricot. The dress wearing was simple but elegant, and a bright amethyst purple that fit around her pregnant belly.

Aten turned away from the low wall that ran around the edge of the roof and stepped onto the first level of the huge hanging garden of the royal palace. He did not want to tell Anubis that he was indeed becoming like the dog-headed monsters he had first created a thousand years previously. "Walk with me," he commanded.

The roof garden-the Garden of the Moon-was divided into seven distinct circular areas, each one a different color and filled with different species of flora. Aten stepped into the first circle, pulled his heavy cloak tighter around his body, closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Within this circle, which completely encompassed the entire roof of the palace, were the lotuses-over one thousand different kinds collected from across the earth-and he could identify each one by its own distinctive scent. "Little brother, nothing must happen to our visitors," he said, allowing some of his authority to seep into his voice. He knew Anubis was quite capable of acting behind his back. "They will be fed and watered. They will not be questioned-I will do that myself."

"Aten, is that wise?"

Without turning around, the Lord of Danu Talis said quietly, "Do not challenge me again, little brother. Remember what happened to our other brother. You will do as I say, without question. If anything happens to the visitors, I will hold you personally responsible." He turned quickly and caught the arrogant mocking expression on his brother's face. "You think I've become weak, don't you?" Aten asked mildly.

Anubis strode forward. He was wearing a long sleeveless chain-mail robe that came to just above his knees. It swirled around him when he walked, and the edges of the woven metal sliced into the delicate lotus blossoms in the beds surrounding him, destroying them. He dropped to one knee before Aten and bowed his head. "I've seen you fight the Ancients and the Archons. I've hunted Earthlords with you. You rule an empire that stretches from horizon to horizon, from pole to pole. Only a fool would think you a coward or weak."

"Then don't be a fool!" Aten leaned down to catch his brother's muscular shoulder and draw him to his feet. The pupils in his flat yellow eyes narrowed from circles to horizontal lines. "What you didn't add, however, was that all of those deeds were done a long time ago. I have not ridden to battle in eight hundred years."

"Why should we fight, now that we have the anpu to battle for us?" Anubis asked shakily, struggling to keep his voice even, though his eyes had flared in fear.

Juno was sitting near the edge of the garden tending to it a little and using her aura to fix the flowers damaged by Anubis' chain-mail. But she raised her head and looked at Anubis with narrowed eyes.

"You think living here with my wife has softened me," Aten continued as if he hadn't heard him. "You think the Change has weakened me," he added, and then his fingers tightened on his brother's shoulder, pinching the nerves, driving him back to his knees on the quartz crystal path. "And a soft, weak ruler could easily be removed and replaced by a stronger man. Someone such as yourself. But you forget, brother, that I have as many spies in the city as there are flowers on this roof. I know what you've been saying, I know what you've been plotting." Wrapping his fist in the chain mail, Aten dragged Anubis back over to the low wall and pushed him up against it. "Look down," he snarled. "What do you see?"

"Nothing ..."

"Nothing? Then you are blind. Look again."

"I see the people, made tiny with distance. Insignificant people."

"Insignificant people, yes, but they are my people, my subjects. Not yours. Never yours." Aten dragged his brother closer to the edge. "If you question me again, I will kill you. If I find you are plotting against me, I will kill you. If you speak about me or my queen in public again, I will kill you. Do I make myself clear?"

Anubis nodded. "You will kill me," he mumbled.

Aten flung Anubis aside, sending him sprawling into a pool of pure white lotus blossoms. Their perfume was sickening. "You are my brother, and surprising as this may sound, I love you. And that is the only thing that has kept you alive today. Now bring me the hook-handed man."

Juno watched Anubis leave with a cold look in her eyes. She looked at the white lotus blossoms and sighed "Did you have to throw him there? It will take me a week to fix it!" she complained.

Aten looked at her and smiled holding out a hand for her to take and gently pulling her close when she did, he leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips "I'm sorry Juno my sweet, I lost my temper."

Juno smiled "Yes I can see that." she murmured before kissing him again.

Aten smiled and rested a hand on Juno's cheek and the other on the side of her stomach before he kissed her again "Should my brother try anything, I want you to be ready to flee Danu Talis tonight." he whispered when he pulled away.

Juno looked worried "Aten, don't give him a reason to try anything." she whispered.

Aten kissed her "Please? For me?" he put both hands on her stomach now.

Juno looked into Atens' eyes, sighed and nodded "Of course."

Aten smiled and plucked one of the undamaged lotus blossoms and weaved it into her hair above her ear before she kissed him gently.

* * *

A.N. so i decided to have a few scenes with Juno, this is the only one that involves the past, the rest involve her going to Tsagaglalal, you know, a reunion with Prometheus, i want your opinion on weither or not it should be a happy reuinion or a bad one, please review to let me know


	29. Learning

Disclaimer: i only own Lily

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Chapter 29: Learning

Billy the Kid darted from one side of the hall to the other, looking into the cells at the menagerie of sleeping creatures. "I mean, I've lived on this earth for a very long time, and I've never seen anything like that." He was looking at a muscular blue-skinned man with a mass of wiry black hair and two curled horns growing out of his head. "Have you?" he asked Niccolò Machiavelli.

Machiavelli glanced quickly into the cell. "It's an oni," he said. "A Japanese demon," he added, before Billy could ask. "The blue-skinned ones are very unpleasant, but the red-skinned ones are even worse." The Italian continued down the grim prison corridors, hands clasped behind his back, cold gray eyes fixed directly ahead of him.

"You're having those deep thoughts, those dark thoughts again," Billy said, lowering his voice as he fell into step alongside the dark-suited immortal.

"So you're a mind reader now."

"A body reader. Staying alive in the Old West meant watching how people stood and moved, interpreting their little twitches and looks, knowing who was likely to pull a gun and who'd back down. I was very good at it," the American said proudly. "And I always knew when someone was going to do something stupid," he added very softly.

"I'm not going to do anything stupid," Machiavelli said quietly. "I have given my master my word, and I will stick to that: I will awaken the beasts and loose them on the city."

"But you're not happy about it, are you?"

Machiavelli flashed a quick look at Billy.

"I mean, seeing what's in these cells, I'm not sure I want them wandering free in any city," the Kid said, his voice little more than a whisper. "These are all carnivores and blood drinkers, aren't they?"

"Never met a vegetarian monster," Machiavelli said. "But yes, most of these are flesh eaters. Some of the most human-looking, however, feed off the dark energy of dreams and nightmares."

"Do you want them free in San Francisco?" Billy asked quietly.

Machiavelli remained silent, but he shook his head slightly, and his lips formed a word he did not speak aloud. No.

"You're cooking up something, though, I can tell," Billy added.

"How can you tell?" Machiavelli asked with a faint smile.

"Easy." The American immortal's blue eyes sparkled in the gloom. "You're just a bit too obvious. You'd never have survived in the West."

Machiavelli blinked in surprise. "I have survived more dangerous places than your nineteenth-century America, and I've done it by keeping my face expressionless and my opinions to myself."

"Ah, but that's where you're making your mistake, Mr. Machiavelli."

"Call me Niccolò. Educate me, young man."

Billy grinned delightedly, showing his prominent teeth. "Never thought I'd have something to teach you."

"The day we stop learning is the day we die."

Billy rubbed his hands together briskly. "So I think I'd be right in saying that you're a curious man-correct, Mr. Machiavelli?"

"Always have been. It is one of the many traits that Dee and I share. We are both intensely curious. I have always believed that curiosity is one of man's greatest strengths."

Billy nodded. "I've always been curious too. Got me into a lot of trouble," he added. "Now, if you take a quick look behind you ..."

Machiavelli glanced over his shoulder, where Josh, Lily, Dee and Dare followed.

"The boy is obviously astonished and scared ..." Billy was still staring straight ahead.

Josh Newman was following the two immortals in a daze, his eyes and mouth opening wider as they passed cell after cell and each new creature was revealed. He was frightened-that was clear. Tendrils of gold smoke curled off his hair and seeped from his ears and nostrils, and both hands were locked into golden-gloved fists.

"Dee's not interested in the creatures, because he gathered them and knows what's here," Billy continued, "and Virginia is not interested either, because she's either fought them in the past or knows that her Elder flute will protect her." He cocked his head to one side, considering. "Or maybe because she knows that she's more dangerous than they are."

"I only know her by reputation," Machiavelli said. "Is she as bad as they say she is?"

"Worse," Billy said, nodding eagerly, "much, much worse. Don't ever make the mistake of trusting her."

Dee and Dare took up the rear. Machiavelli noted that Dee was deep in conversation with the woman. Her face was an inscrutable mask, her gray eyes the same color as the stones making up the floor and walls. She spotted Niccolò looking at her and raised a hand in acknowledgment. Dee looked up and glared, the odor of rotten eggs briefly filling the cellblock, stronger even than the stench of the sleeping beasts. Machiavelli looked away before Dee could see his smile. It amused him to know that he still frightened the English Magician.

"What about Lily?" Niccolò asked, curious as to why Billy hadn't mentioned her.

Billy smirked "I have no idea what she's feeling right now, she looks curius and is seeming interested in the cells, but she's got this look in her eyes that says she's not entirely here, she's a person I can never truly read"

Niccolò looked confused "It always seemed like Lily wore her expressions on her sleeve."

Billy snickered "Only if she's caught off guard, she's an amazing actress, she can pretend to be interested in a conversation, but really she's calculating how to sneak away."

Niccolò looked over his shoulder at Lily and saw that she did look curious, but he couldn't see the look in her eyes that Billy had.

"So, given your curiosity, you should be looking into the cells," Billy finished. "But you're not. Therefore, you're thinking of something much more important."

"Impressive," Machiavelli agreed. "And your logic is impeccable ... except for one thing."

"Which is?"

"Oddly shaped creatures and monstrous beasts long ago lost their ability to frighten me. In truth, it was really only mankind-and their close relatives, the Elders and Next Generation-that always had the capacity to terrify me." He nodded at the cells. "These poor beasts are driven solely by their need to survive and to feed. It is their nature, and their nature has made them predictable. But man, on the other hand, has the capacity to change his nature. Man is the only animal that can destroy the world. Beasts live only in the present, but humans have the capacity to live for the future, to lay down plans for their children and grandchildren, plans that can take years, decades, even centuries, to mature."

"I've heard that sort of planning is your specialty," Billy said.

"It is." Machiavelli waved a hand toward a cell holding a trio of sleeping hairy domovoi, each one more hideous than the other. "So these do not frighten or even interest me."

"You sound as arrogant as Dee," Billy snapped, a touch of steel edging his voice. "And I'm sure the people living in San Francisco are not going to agree with you."

"True," Machiavelli conceded.

Billy drew in a deep breath. "If these creatures reach the shores, there will be ..." He paused, hunting for a word. "Chaos. Mayhem."

"Now who is having deep dark thoughts?" Machiavelli asked lightly. "Who would have thought it-an outlaw with a conscience."

"Probably the same deep dark thoughts you were having, maybe even the same as the thoughts Lily is having." Billy murmured. "I'll admit I'm not comfortable releasing these monsters on my people."

"Your people?" Machiavelli teased.

"My people. I know they're not yours, they're not Italians ...," Billy began.

"They're humans," Machiavelli said, "and that makes them my people too."

Billy the Kid looked quickly at Niccolò. "When I first met you, I thought you were just like Dee ... now I'm not so sure."

Machiavelli's lips moved in the tiniest of smiles. "Dee and I are similar in many ways-don't tell him that, though. He'd be insulted. Where we differ is that Dee will do whatever is necessary to achieve his ends. I have watched him follow his master's orders even when it meant the destruction of entire cities and tens of thousands of lives. I have never done that. The price of my immortality was my service, but not my soul. I am now, and I have always been, human."

"I hear you," Billy the Kid murmured.

The corridor ended at a metal door. Machiavelli pushed it open, blinked in the afternoon sunlight and hurried down the concrete steps that led to the exercise yard. The Italian breathed deeply, drawing in the rich salt air, dispelling the musky, fetid animal odor that permeated the cellblocks. He waited for Billy to join him. He turned while the Kid was still on the last step, so that their faces were level. "I gave my word to my master and to Quetzalcoatl that I would unleash the creatures on the city. I cannot go back on my word."

"Cannot or will not?"

"Cannot," Machiavelli said firmly. "I will not become waerloga-an oath breaker."

Billy nodded. "I respect a man who keeps his word. Just make sure you're keeping it for the right reason."

Machiavelli leaned forward, and his iron-hard fingers bit into Billy's shoulder. The Italian fixed his eyes on Billy's. "No, you must make sure you're breaking it for the right reason!"

Billy looked back into Machiavelli's eyes and whispered "I don't have anything to lose Niccolò, **you** might."

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review please


	30. Warlock

Disclaimer: i only own Lily.

* * *

Chapter 30: Warlock

"That laugh is starting to freak me out," Billy murmured.

Machiavelli nodded. "I fear the pressure is beginning to get to the doctor."

"They're up to something," Billy said, looking ahead to where Dee and Dare were deep in conversation.

"You know Virginia Dare better than I do," the Italian said. "Do you trust her?"

Billy stuck his hands in the back pockets of his jeans. "The last person I trusted shot me in the back."

"I'll take that as a no, then. And I thought you trusted Lily."

Billy smiled "I love her like a little sister, I consider her family, but I watch my back when I'm around her, I had no doubt in my mind that if Juno had ordered her to kill me before all this, she would have done it."

Niccolò sighed and nodded, before the truth had come out, he had no doubt that Lily would have killed anyone that Juno ordered her too.

"Niccolò, I like Virginia. We've had some great adventures together. She's saved my life on a couple of occasions, and I've saved hers." He started to smile and then his face creased in pain. "But Virginia is ... well, she's ... she's just a little strange."

"Billy," Machiavelli said with a laugh, "we're all a little strange." He shivered in the breeze and pulled his ruined suit jacket closed.

"But Virginia's stranger than most." The American shook his head. "She is an immortal humani, but she is different-dangerously different. She grew up alone, running wild in the woods of Virginia. The local Native American tribes looked out for her, left her food and clothes. I think they believed she was a forest spirit or something like that. They feared her and called her a Windigo: a monster. When villagers went missing in the forest, it was said that they had been taken by the Windigo. And eaten."

Machiavelli sucked in a breath. "Are you implying ..."

Billy shook his head quickly. "I'm just telling you the story. As far as I know, she's a vegetarian," he added. "She's always been vague with the dates, but she didn't learn to speak until she was ten or eleven. At that point she could already communicate fluently with animals and her forest craft was second to none, but I don't know how she survived, I have no idea what she had to do. And I'm not going to ask, either. What I do know is that those years damaged her. She doesn't really care too much for people, though she's never met an animal she couldn't tame. She told me once that she was happiest when she ruled over the woods of Virginia, where all the creatures knew her, and the natives honored and feared her."

"I had no idea," Machiavelli said. "There isn't much information in her file."

"Do you know she killed her master?"

Machiavelli nodded. "I know that. And I know that she and Dee were close. I believe they may even have been betrothed, though I am sure it was not a love match."

"I also know this," Billy continued, "she wants to rule. In a couple of the nearby Shadowrealms, she is revered as a goddess. She wants people to worship her and to fear her, just like the natives in Virginia did."

"Yes. It makes her feel needed," Machiavelli said. "Hardly surprising for a girl who was abandoned as a baby. So she is dangerous?"

"Oh, she is that. In most of those Shadowrealms, she's worshipped as a goddess of death," Billy said grimly. "The last mistake you will ever make is to underestimate her. The second-to-last would be to trust her."

At that moment the Magician's maniacal laughter was carried back on the wind. "I wonder, does Dee know that?" Machiavelli asked. "Would she be loyal to him ... if anything were to happen?"

Billy looked at the Italian carefully. "And what might happen?" he said softly.

Machiavelli gazed across the bay to the city and frowned, deep lines appearing on his high forehead. "I've been thinking a lot about my wife, Marietta, recently. Were you ever married, Billy?" The American shook his head. "Never had time before I became immortal; never wanted to afterward. Didn't think it would be fair to my wife."

"Very wise. I wish I'd been as considerate. I've come to the conclusion that immortals should only marry other immortals. Nicholas and Perenelle are very lucky to have lived so long with one another." He laughed. "Maybe Dee should have married Dare. What a couple they would have made."

Billy grinned. "She'd have killed him within the first year. Virginia has a terrible temper."

"My wife, Marietta, had a temper. But she had every reason to. I was not a particularly good husband. I was away at court too often and for too long, and the politics of the time meant that I lived with the constant threat of assassination. My poor Marietta put up with a lot. She once accused me of being an inhuman monster. She told me I'd stopped thinking of people as individuals. They were masses-faceless and anonymous-either enemies or friends."

"And was she right?"

"Yes, she was," the Italian said sadly. "And then she held up my baby son, Guido, and asked me if he was an individual."

Billy followed the direction of Machiavelli's stare. "So is that a city of faceless masses, or is it filled with individuals?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I'm thinking that you would have no problem keeping your word to your Elder master and Quetzalcoatl and unleashing creatures on the faceless masses in the city."

"You're right. I've done it before."

"But if you see it as a city of individuals ..."

"That would be different," Machiavelli agreed.

"Who was it who said, `The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present'?"

The Italian looked quickly at the American immortal and then he dipped his head in a bow. "I do believe I said that once ... a long, long time ago."

"You also wrote that a prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise," Billy said with a grin.

"Yes, I did say that. You're full of surprises, Billy."

Billy looked from the city to the Italian. "So what do you see-faceless masses or individuals?"

"Individuals," Machiavelli whispered.

"Reason enough to break your promise to your Elder master and a bird-tailed monster?"

Machiavelli nodded. "Reason enough," he said.

"I knew you were going to say that." The American immortal reached out and squeezed the Italian's arm. "You're a good man, Niccolò Machiavelli."

"I don't think so. Right now, my thoughts make me waerloga-an oath breaker. A warlock."

"Warlock." Billy the Kid tilted his head. "I like it. Got a nice ring to it. I'm thinking I might become a warlock too." He looked at Machiavelli and said in a whisper "what do you think Lily will do?"

Niccolò turned to look at Lily who was smiling and laughing with Josh "she will do what she believes the right thing to do is, what she will believe it do be, I know not, but she reminds me much of my Marrietta. I believe that she will agree with us."

Lily grinned when Josh asked what she had done for her Elder Master. "stolen mostly, I'm her personal thief, I've stolen gems, and ancient artifacts, I've stolen things as simple as a necklace to as extravagant as a museum piece,"

Josh's eyes widened "seriously?"

Lily grinned and nodded "I've had immortals call me a witch because of my aura, and how I can bend it and shape it to my will while I'm so young"

Josh grinned "Awesome"

Lily smiled and whispered "Josh, you remember what I told you right? That at the end of the day the only person you can really rely on is yourself?"

Josh nodded "yeah, I remember."

Lily put her hand on Josh's shoulder and hoped he would remember her words for the next day or so.


	31. Reunions

Disclaimer: i own no one in this chapter.

AT LAST! the long awaited reunion between Prometheus and Juno

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Chapter 31: Reunions

Mars Ultor lunged toward Prometheus with the razor-sharp short sword. Faster than the eye could see, Niten's hands moved, catching the underside of Mars's wrist with a stiff-fingered blow. The Elder's hand spasmed and automatically opened, and Niten caught the falling blade and deftly reversed it. And suddenly it was pointed at Mars's throat.

Niten cocked his head to one side. "There was a time when I would not have been able to even get close to you. You're getting old."

Mars bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Fast. As fast as I've ever seen." Then he grunted as a cramp bit at the back of his legs, sending him sprawling on the steps.

Niten tossed the short sword to Prometheus and reached down to offer the Elder his hand. "It is an honor to fight you."

"We didn't fight!" Mars came up quickly, the top of his head catching Niten in the stomach, doubling him over, sending him sprawling backward. The Swordsman rolled to his feet and dropped into a fighting stance.

"Stop that. Right this minute!" Tsagaglalal clipped Niten on the back of the head as she pushed past Prometheus and reached over to catch Mars Ultor by the ear. She twisted and he yelped. "And as for you-what have I told you about fighting?"

Mars Ultor turned as red as his aura. "Sorry, Mistress Tsagaglalal," he muttered.

The old woman looked at Niten and then pointed indoors. "Get inside now."

"He started it," he began.

"I don't care who started it. Get inside and wash your hands. They're filthy. You too," she snapped at Prometheus. "And you can give that to me," she said, reaching out her hand for the sword.

Struggling to keep a straight face, Prometheus flipped over the sword and presented it to her, hilt first. "Yes, ma'am," he said, bowing his head.

"And lay the table in the garden. We've got guests for tea." She turned and smiled at Odin, Hel and Black Hawk, who were standing at the bottom of the steps. "You will stay for tea."

No one said a word.

"It was not a request," she added, sudden steel in her voice. "And for heavens sake come out of the shadows already!" she snapped

Everyone looked around and then saw a young woman with black hair, blue eyes, a heart shaped face and a peacock blue dress come out from the shadow of a Tree.

Prometheus' eyes widened "Hera?" he breathed in a whisper.

Hera wrapped her arms around herself and whispered "its been a long time brother-"

Prometheus and Juno, or Hera, stared at each other for what seemed like minutes, before Hera was suddenly hugging Prometheus and Prometheus had his arms around Hera and his cheek rested on the top of her hair.

"I've missed you" Prometheus whispered to her.

Hera smiled "And I have missed you just as much, big brother."

Prometheus pulled away and kissed Hera's forehead "you must tell me all that has happened since we last spoke, but first why are you here?"

Hera made a face "Our darling sister called me up and ordered me to come here." she bit out angrily.


	32. Showtime

Disclaimer: I only own Lily

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Chapter 32: Showtime

"Showtime," Billy the Kid muttered. He tapped Josh on the shoulder and pointed toward the Golden Gate Bridge.

Josh crouched on a low rock on the west shore of Alcatraz and watched a long V on the surface of the water sweeping in toward the island. The bow wave broke against the rocks on the beach and white spume flew high into the air. A greenish-black snakelike tentacle burst through the surface of the water and waved about for a moment before it dropped onto the rocks. It twitched, moving delicately across the sand and stone, and then the hundreds of little suckers on the pale underside of the tentacle attached themselves to a boulder. A second tentacle appeared, then a third and a fourth. Josh swallowed hard and shivered. "Snakes."

"You're looking a little green," Billy the Kid said, dropping into a crouch alongside Josh. Lily, who was sitting next to Josh put an arm around his shoulders in concern.

The young man nodded toward the tentacles. "They look like snakes. And I really hate snakes."

"Never been partial to snakes myself," Billy admitted. "Got myself bit by a rattler when I was younger. Swelled up, I did, and would have died if Black Hawk hadn't tended to me."

Lily looked at Billy and raised an eyebrow and shook her head, she would never fully understand the relationship between Billy and Black Hawk

"If it was up to me," Josh said quickly, "I'd have no snakes in the world."

"I hear you."

Josh shivered. Although it was June, the wind coming in off the bay was brisk and the water droplets splashing up onto his face felt icy, but he knew that it was more than the weather that had him feeling cold. There was an almost palpable evil in the air. Ancient evil. "Have you ever met this Ner ... Nere ..."

"Nereus," Billy pronounced.

"Have either of you ever met him before?"

"I've heard of him, but I never met him before today. I've really never had a whole lot to do with any of the Elders or the Next Generation in the West. Dee and Machiavelli are the first of the truly old European immortals I've met." He pushed strands of his long hair back off his face. "I keep myself to myself and do odd jobs for my master, Quetzalcoatl. I run some errands, that sort of thing, act as bodyguard on his rare trips into the city. I've gone adventuring with Virginia into some of the nearby Shadowrealms, but most of them were close copies of this Shadowrealm, and we rarely came across monsters." He jerked his thumb back toward the cellblock above and behind them. "I never saw anything like those things before."

Lily shook her head "Most of my time was spent stealing or hanging out with Billy and occasionally Virginia, before today, I'd only ever met one Elder."

"Here he comes," Josh breathed. The surface of the water rippled and he braced himself, expecting some sort of tentacled serpentine monster. Instead, a surprisingly normal-looking man's head appeared above the waves, a mop of thickly curled hair plastered to his skull. His face was broad, with prominent cheekbones and a strong jaw covered with a thick beard that had been twisted into two tight curls, woven through with strips of seaweed.

"The Old Man of the Sea," Billy whispered. "An Elder."

"He looks normal to me," Josh began, and then Nereus heaved himself upward and the young man could see that the lower half of the Elder's body had been replaced with eight octopus legs. Only, something didn't look right. Three of the enormous legs ended as ragged stumps, and there was an ugly burnt patch of blistered skin in the center of the creature's forehead. The Elder was wearing a sleeveless jerkin of overlapping kelp leaves stitched together with strands of seaweed, and there was a spiked stone trident strapped to his back. Josh coughed, Lily put her hand over her mouth and nose and Billy wiped his watering eyes-the clean salt air had been tainted with the stench of long-dead rotting fish and rancid blubber.

"Nereus," Dee called, marching down to the water's edge. "About time. We've been waiting."

The Old Man of the Sea leaned his human arms on the boulder and smiled at Dee, exposing a mouthful of tiny pointed teeth. "You forget yourself, humani. I do not answer to you." His voice was sticky and liquid. "And I'm hungry," he added.

"That is an idle threat and you know it," Dee snapped. Nereus ignored him. "So what have we here..." The Elder looked up at Machiavelli and Billy, then Virginia and finally Josh. "Immortals and a Gold, come to end the world. As it was foretold in the Time Before Time." He looked at Josh and the young man's aura flared protectively into golden chain-mail armor around his body. "And you ... you are as I remember you," he said.

Josh attempted a laugh. "I've never met you before in my life, sir."

"Are you sure?" Nereus demanded.

"Oh, I'm sure I'd remember," Josh said, pleased that his voice didn't tremble too much.

"I was told that you would do my bidding," Dee interrupted.

Nereus ignored Dee and turned to Machiavelli. "Is it time?"

Lily snickered and whispered into Josh's ear "he hates not being in control."

The Italian nodded. "It is time. Did you bring it?"

"I brought it." The Old Man of the Sea looked from Machiavelli to Dee and then back to the Italian. "Who wants to control the Lotan?"

"I do," Dee said immediately, stepping forward.

"Of course you do," Nereus bubbled. A tentacle unpeeled from a boulder and shot out to wrap around Dee's wrist, jerking him forward. The immortal didn't even have time to cry out. Virginia Dare started forward, her flute in her hand, but a look from Nereus stopped her. "Don't be stupid. If I wanted him dead, I could have plucked him off this rock and fed him to my daughters." Behind him, a dozen green-haired Nereids broke the surface of the bay, mouths open to reveal their piranha teeth. "And you and I will have a reckoning for what you did earlier. My family is very dear to me."

"You're not the first Elder to threaten me." Virginia Dare's cruel smile turned her face ugly. "And you know what happened to him."

The stink of rotting fish grew stronger, and Billy, Lily and Josh gagged and inched away. Virginia threw her head back and breathed deeply. "Oh, I do so love the smell of fear."

Nereus turned back to Dee. "A little present for you," he said, pressing what looked like a small blue-veined egg into Dee's hands and closing the doctor's fingers over it. A tentacle wrapped around the English doctor's fist, locking it closed. "Whatever you do," Nereus said, "you must not open your hand." Then he squeezed tightly and the distinctive sound of a shell cracking could be heard.

"Why not?" Dee asked. And then he gasped, his eyes bulging in pain.

"Ah yes," Nereus bubbled once again, showing his teeth in a ferocious grin, "that would be the Lotan biting you."

Dee shuddered but remained silent, gray eyes fixed on the Elder's face.

"You're brave, I'll give you that," Nereus said, his mouth widening in an even more savage smile. "It is said that the bite of the Lotan is more painful than the sting of a scorpion."

The doctor had turned a ghastly white, and his eyes were huge in his head. Beads of yellow sweat gathered on his forehead, and the air stank of sulfur. "I thought ...," he said through gritted teeth, "I thought it would be bigger."

Billy looked at Josh and winked. "I thought that too." Lily giggled and snickered.

"It will be," Nereus laughed. "It just needs to feed off a little blood first." Dee's entire body was jerking violently now. He attempted to pull his left arm free, but another of Nereus's tentacles had encircled the doctor's forearm. "Once it tastes your blood, it will be bonded to you. Then it is yours to control. But you must act swiftly. The Lotan are like mayflies; they have a very short lifespan. You have three or four hours at most before it dies." The Elder's tentacles fell away from Dee's arms and he added, "But that should be time enough to begin the destruction of the humani city."

Josh watched as the Old Man of the Sea crawled back over the rocky edge of the island and slid into the chill green waters of the bay. Women's heads popped up around him, green hair spreading like seaweed across the water. The Elder turned to look back and fixed his eyes on Josh. He frowned, as if trying to remember something, but then shook his head and sank beneath the surface. One by one, the Nereids disappeared as well.

Virginia Dare rushed forward and caught Dee as he swayed on his feet. The Magician's skin was ashen; his left hand was still tightly shut, but blood was seeping from between his fingers, which had turned a bruised purple. "Help me!" Virginia shouted.

Billy clambered over the rocks and wrapped an arm around Dee's waist, holding him upright. "I've got him."

"Let's move him up onto the rocks," Virginia said.

"No!" Machiavelli yelled. "Wait." He picked his way over the slippery boulders and stood in front of Dee. "Josh, help me here."

Without thinking, Josh climbed down over the stones to stand alongside the Italian. Lily close at his heals.

"Observe me," Machiavelli said. He held up his arms and two ornate metal gloves formed over his hands. "Can you copy that?"

"Easy." Josh stretched out his hands, and the salty air was infused with the smell of citrus as golden metal gloves appeared over his fingers.

"Hold his arm," Machiavelli commanded, "and, whatever happens, do not let go." He looked at Virginia, and Billy, who were standing on either side of the swaying Magician, Lily next to Virginia. "Are you ready?"

The three immortals looked at one another and nodded.

"Josh?"

The young man nodded and took hold of Dee's arm, stretching it out. The Magician's sulfurous aura fizzled and crackled where the golden gloves touched his flesh, but the scent of oranges was stronger than the stink of rotten eggs. Machiavelli reached for Dee's left hand, turning it palm upward, and then carefully opened his fingers. Nestled in the Magician's palm were the remains of the crushed shell. And in the midst of the fragments was the Lotan.

"It's kind of like a skink," Josh said, leaning forward for a closer look. The creature was tiny, not much more than one inch in length, four-legged, green- skinned, with long horizontal lines running down the length of its body. "Except for the heads," he added. Seven identical heads grew out of its body on short necks. Each head was attached to the flesh of Dee's palm, tiny round mouths sucking noisily as they drank his blood.

"If I didn't know any better," Billy the Kid said quietly, "I'd reckon the Old Man of the Sea was playing some sort of joke on us." He nodded at the tiny lizard like creature. "Not much terrorizing to be done with that."

Lily nodded "I mean seriously, he said that the Kraken was only about an inch big but we'd probably get as much chaos from a Kraken as from this.

"Oh, Billy, Lily." Virginia said simply. "What do you do when you want to make something grow?" Billy looked at her blankly and shrugged.

Virginia shook her head, clearly disappointed that he didn't know the answer. "Lily?"

Lily smirked "Add water." The two women grinned at each other.

The creature raised its seven tiny heads as Machiavelli carefully plucked it off Dee's bloody flesh. It thrashed about violently, squeaking like a newborn kitten, each of the seven heads striking out at the Italian's hands, tiny needlelike teeth squealing and scraping on the immortal's hardened auric gloves. "Filthy thing," he muttered. Holding the Lotan at arm's length, Machiavelli dropped it into a pool of water collected in the rocks by his feet.

"Now what?" Billy asked.

"Now we run," Machiavelli said.


	33. Choosing Sides

i only own Lily

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Chapter 33: Choosing Sides

Sophie Newman stood in the back garden beside the barbecue and watched Prometheus grill sausages. The big Elder was grinning and whistling tunelessly.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You should have seen the look on Mars's face," Prometheus said.

"You were-or you are-enemies?" she asked, and even as she was asking, images started to dance in her head.

... Mars Ultor and Prometheus standing back to back against a horde of snake-headed warriors.

... Prometheus carrying a wounded Mars on his back as he dived off a bridge into a raging torrent ...

... Mars snatching a barbed arrow out of the air, a hairs-breadth from Prometheus's throat ...

"Now, perhaps. Once we were friends, closer than brothers."

"What happened?"

"He went mad," he said sadly. "Or rather, the sword he carried drove him mad. The same sword your brother now carries."

Sophie looked across the garden to where the big man in the leather jacket stood drinking pink lemonade through a straw. "He doesn't look crazy, though."

"Not at the moment, he doesn't."

"Why did he attack you?"

"It's complicated," Prometheus said, jumping back as hot grease spat at him.

Sophie glanced at the sausages and sizzling hamburgers, then looked away quickly as her stomach turned. Ever since she'd been Awakened, she'd developed an aversion to meat. "How complicated?"

"Well, Mars married my sister, Zephaniah, which made us brothers-in-law. But when the sword drove him insane, I helped my sister capture him and trap him in a shell of his own hardened aura. She buried him deep underground, and over the centuries the city of Paris grew above his head."

Sophie nodded "and the young woman who showed up?"

Prometheus smiled "my younger sister"

Sophie had more of the witches memories come to her head as she said "why haven't the two of you seen each other recently?"

… Juno yelling at her parents while her siblings stood behind her.

… Juno in an elegant dress holding the hand of a man she looked at Adoringly.

… Juno watching her siblings walk away from her while tears ran from her eyes.

… Juno cradling a baby girl in her arms.

… and Juno, sobbing heartbrokenly at a funeral and watching while a young woman walked away, who was also crying.

Prometheus sighed "since her daughter died, along with her son in law and two grandchildren, she's lost contact with everyone, I believe she even lost contact with her own husband. But I wasn't as close to her after she married into the royal family of Danu Talis."

"Sophie?" Aunt Agnes had appeared from the kitchen, carrying a tray.

"Just a minute, Aunt-"

"Now, Sophie," Tsagaglalal insisted.

"Excuse me," Sophie said, and crossed the patio.

Tsagaglalal handed her the tray, which held slices of cut sushi. "Will you help me pass these around? Our guests must be famished."

"Aunt Agnes ... Tsagaglalal," Sophie said. She was completely confused. "What are we doing?"

"Feeding our guests," the old woman said with a smile.

"But they're mortal enemies."

"They know they must put their enmities aside in my presence," she said. "That is the tradition." The corners of the old woman's gray eyes crinkled in amusement. "Everything is as it should be. Now just help me hand out the food and we'll wait for Nicholas and Perenelle to join us."

Sophie followed Tsagaglalal across the patio to where Mars Ultor leaned against a low stone wall. He straightened when he saw the old woman approach, and put down his lemonade.

"Mistress Tsagaglalal," he said, bowing deeply. Suddenly his blue eyes turned huge behind tears. "I thought I would never see you again."

The old woman reached up to place the palm of her hand flat against his cheek. "Mars, old friend. It is good to see you. And you are looking well, too. You've lost weight. It suits you. How is Zephaniah?"

Mars nodded. "She is well, I think," he said cautiously. "We ... we didn't talk too much. She spoke and I listened while she told me what to do." Mars paused and smiled to himself. "It was just like old times. Then she sent me here to find Dee, but first she told me I had to come to you. She said you had something for me."

Tsagaglalal nodded. "I do. I'll give it to you in a moment, but first I want you to meet-"

"We've already met," Sophie interrupted coldly. She remembered the creature in the catacombs beneath Paris. "Mars Ultor, who was also Ares, Nergal and Huitzilopochtli." She looked at Tsagaglalal. "He Awakened Josh in Paris."

Tsagaglalal patted Sophie's arm. "I know. Sophie, do not judge him by the Witch's memories, or by what he was forced to do in Paris. When Danu Talis fell, Mars stayed to the very end and led thousands of humani slaves to safety. He was among the last off the island."

Sophie looked at Mars again. "The Witch remembers you as a monster."

"It is true. I was. But Clarent poisoned me," Mars said. "It changed my nature. And now your twin carries it. Unless you get it away from him, it will change him also."

"I'll take it away from him," Sophie said simply, and then her voice shook. "I know where he is."

"He's on Alcatraz. He and I are linked, remember." He threw his head back and closed his eyes, and his nostrils flared as he inhaled a deep breath. "I can smell him and the others with him: Dee and Machiavelli, an immortal who smells like sage ..."

"That would be Virginia Dare," Tsagaglalal said.

One by one Odin, Hel, Juno and Black Hawk crossed the yard and gathered around Mars as he spoke.

"... and another, a male, young, smelling of red peppers," he continued.

"That would be my friend Billy the Kid," Black Hawk offered.

"and a young woman who smells like-" he opened his eyes and looked at Juno in wonder "like Lotus blossoms, but she smells immortal, not like an elder"

Juno smiled "her daughter."

That statement had Prometheus' attention.

"You are sure the Magician is on the island?" Odin asked, his voice hoarse, every word labored.

"I'm sure." Mars breathed in again. "And there is another." His face twisted in disgust. "Ah, the stench of Nereus."

Prometheus came away from the barbecue carrying two plates, one piled high with hamburgers, the other filled with small cocktail sausages festooned with toothpicks.

Sophie watched Mars stiffen as Prometheus approached. Then she saw Tsagaglalal reach out to grip Mars's arm. The old woman lowered her voice, but the girl caught her words. "You're a guest in my house. I want you to behave yourself."

"Of course, mistress," Mars murmured. He nodded to Prometheus, who smiled in return. "What happened to your hair?" he asked.

"I got old," Prometheus said. "Unlike you, I see." He held out the two plates of food to the small group and everyone shook their heads except Mars and Hel. Mars lifted one of the small sausages, breathed in its aroma and then nibbled almost delicately at it. "The first real food I've had in millennia," he admitted.

Hel leaned forward and opened her mouth. A long black tongue shot out and wrapped around a thick hamburger. She pulled it whole into her mouth, her jutting fangs ripping it apart. The juices mingled with the black fluids running down her chin as she smiled at Sophie. "I'm not a vegetarian."

"I guessed," Sophie said, looking away quickly and swallowing the bile at the back of her throat.

"I made them rare just for you," Prometheus said.

"You remembered," Hel rasped.

"Well, if you recall, the last time we met, you were planning on eating me."

"I was going to cook you first."

Odin picked up a piece of sushi and a napkin. He disassembled the sushi, removing the curl of salmon and wrapping the remains of the rice in the napkin.

Juno stuck with a few sausage and her lemonade.

Black Hawk nodded his thanks as he looked over the plate. "Is that spicy tuna?"

Sophie nodded. "Looks like it."

"I'll stick with the salmon. Spicy food disagrees with me."

Niten appeared with two more plates of sushi. "Freshly made," he announced. "I cut some sashimi for you," he said to Odin, and pointed to the neat slivers of white and red fish. "Albacore and salmon." He looked at Black Hawk. "And cucumber and tuna rolls for you. No spices."

"You have a good memory." Black Hawk smiled.

"Of course."

Sophie looked at the two immortals. She still found the idea of the Swordsman and the Native American knowing one another astonishing. "How do you know one another?"

"We met just over a hundred and thirty years ago," Niten said.

Black Hawk nodded in agreement. "Just after the Battle of Greasy Grass in 1876."

"What a day that was," Niten murmured. "A day for warriors."

Sophie picked up one of the trays of meat and offered it to Hel. The Elder nodded gratefully and grabbed two burgers, one in each hand, before wrapping her tongue around a third. "We came through several leygates to get here," she explained over a mouthful of barely cooked meat, spraying fragments everywhere. "And you know what that's like-they make you ravenous." Sophie drifted away from the group, heading into the house with the empty platter. She stopped at the doorway and glanced back and was immediately struck by how completely bizarre the scene was. There was Niten talking to Black Hawk; Mars Ultor and Prometheus were deep in conversation, while Odin, Juno and Hel were listening intently to Tsagaglalal. It seemed like any other backyard barbecue, with food and drink and the smells of cooking in the air. And yet some of these beings were more than ten thousand years old and far from human.

"Maybe it's a dream," she said softly, "and I'm about to wake up."

"More like a nightmare," a woman's voice answered quietly. "And you're not even dreaming."

Sophie spun around to find Nicholas and Perry standing in the doorway.

"It is good to see you again, Sophie," Nicholas said. "And Perenelle tells me I owe you a huge debt. You helped bring me back to life."

Sophie nodded, not entirely sure how to respond. "I was ... glad to be able to help," she said. She tilted her head behind her. "I was just thinking what an odd group this is. Odin and Hel are enemies, Prometheus and Mars haven't spoken in thousands of years, and I had no idea Niten and Black Hawk knew one another. And Juno is completely out of place."

"And what's really odd," Nicholas continued, "is that they are talking civilly and are not at one another's throats."

"Why is that?" Sophie asked. She noted that Nicholas was wearing one of her father's shirts and a pair of his cargo pants, while Perenelle was dressed in jeans that were just a little too short and a high-necked long-sleeved blouse that looked like her mother's. She felt a vague wave of anger that her aunt-no, not her aunt, Tsagaglalal-had given away her parents' clothes.

Slowly the group became aware that Nicholas and Perenelle were standing at the kitchen door looking at them, and all conversation died away as they turned to face the Alchemyst and his wife. Nicholas accepted a glass of water from Perenelle and raised it in salute.

"I have never believed in coincidences," he said, stepping out into the garden. "So I am forced to think that you are all here for a reason."

Tsagaglalal stepped forward. "You are. And if you would all like to sit down, I will tell you the reason."

"So this extraordinary gathering was not accidental?" Prometheus asked.

"Hardly," Tsagaglalal said. "My husband and Chronos predicted it ten millennia ago. In fact, Abraham gave me something to give to you." She opened a cardboard box that was sitting on the table and removed some straw padding. "I have protected these emerald tablets with my life," she said, and began to take out flat rectangular green stones and hand them around. "Prometheus, this is for you. Niten, this is yours..."

"What are they?" Sophie asked.

"Letters from the past," Tsagaglalal said. "My husband wrote them ten thousand years ago."

"And he knew all these people would be here?" Sophie asked incredulously.

Tsagaglalal turned and nodded. "Indeed he did." Then she pulled one final emerald tablet from the cardboard box and handed it to her. "And he knew that you too would be here, Sophie Newman."

* * *

Josh Newman looked at the pool of water at his feet. "Nothing's happen-" he began ... and then stopped-all the water in the rock pool had suddenly vanished. He could see the tiny green creature wriggling and twisting on the gritty beach like a fish out of water. Josh squinted; did it look a little plumper? The Lotan shuddered, scrabbling in the grit and dirty sand. And then Josh realized that it was growing, doubling and then redoubling in size with each twitch of its ever-elongating body.

From a few inches in length to a foot long took a heartbeat.

From twelve inches to three feet took another heartbeat.

The resemblance to a skink was pronounced, but with each shuddering increase in size, it began to look more like a Komodo dragon. Long yellow forked tongues flickered in each of its seven mouths, and when it raised its heads toward the skies, its breath reeked of rancid meat and long-dead things from the bottom of the sea.

The Lotan convulsed, doubled in size again, becoming six feet long ...

"We need to get out of here," Billy said urgently. He and Virginia still held Dee between them. "Look at those teeth-a critter like that needs meat. And we're the closest meal."

... trembling violently, bones popping, muscles cracking, skin stretching to become twelve feet ...

All seven heads fixed on the five humans, fourteen solid black eyes watching them unblinkingly. And then it lunged forward, a quick-almost shockingly swift-movement that halved the distance between them.

"Move!" Billy yelled.

"No!" Dee gasped.

Josh watched in horror as the creature spasmed violently, growing to more than twenty-four feet long, almost the same length as one of the cable cars that ran in the city across the bay.

"Just how big does this thing get?" Billy demanded.

"Let's slow this down." Still holding on to the Magician, Virginia pulled out her flute with one hand and pressed it to her lips. The sound was too high for human hearing other than the faintest trembling on the air. A trio of seagulls flying overhead fell out of the sky, tumbling into the sea, but the Lotan was unaffected. It edged closer, and all seven mouths opened to reveal multiple rows of savage teeth. Thick strands of foul-smelling saliva dripped onto the rocks.

Dee coughed out a laugh, and when he spoke his voice was a ragged whisper. "It is deaf. Your magic flute is useless."

"I gathered that," Virginia muttered.

The Lotan's green skin rippled with colors, red and black waves surging up and down its body. Abruptly, all the colors flowed into the heads, turning each a different shade of crimson, except for the central head, which had grown almost twice as big as the others and was now solid black.

Josh clenched and unclenched his fists and his golden auric gloves formed again and started to work their way up his arms, sheathing them in metal.

The Lotan's seven heads instantly fixed on the young man.

"Josh," Machiavelli said quietly, not taking his eyes off the Lotan. "I suggest you stop whatever you're doing. Right now!"

"I was shielding myself with my aura," Josh began. Dee shook himself free of Dare and Billy. A little color had returned to the Magician's ash-white face, but his eyes were still ringed with shadows, and he cradled his swollen left hand. He stepped toward the creature, which reared its heads as if it was about to strike, and then all its nostrils opened stickily and seven tongues tasted the air. Dee turned his back on the creature. "The Lotan feeds off more than flesh. It's vampire-like-it will suck the aura from any living creature." He looked at Machiavelli. "Are you brave enough to stretch out your arm?"

"Brave enough, perhaps, but not so foolish," Machiavelli said, eyes still fixed on the creature.

Billy immediately stretched out his left arm and the air was touched with the earthy scent of red pepper. A reddish-purple gauze wrapped around the immortal's hand.

The Lotan shuddered, all the heads transferring their attention to him, tongues flickering. Billy suddenly grunted and staggered forward as his aura started to coil and stream away from his arm toward the creature. The yellow tongues lapped the gossamer red smoke from the air.

"Stop it, Billy!" Machiavelli said.

The American tried to lower his arm. "I can't," he gasped. His aura had deepened in color, the stream clearly visible in the air as it flowed toward the lizard. The veins on the back of Billy's outstretched hand were pronounced, and he hissed in pain as his fingernails turned red, then purple, before changing to black, cracking and falling off.

Josh immediately stepped in front of Billy and cracked the flat of his hand across his face. The immortal grunted in surprise. Josh caught the front of his shirt and used a tae kwan do standing leg sweep to bring Billy to his knees. The immortal hit the stones with bruising force and his aura instantly faded.

"Oh man, that hurt. I think you just busted my kneecap," Billy grumbled. He stretched out his hand and Josh hauled him to his feet. "Never thought I'd thank someone for hurting me, but thanks. I owe you-and I never forget my debts." He flexed his left hand. It was pale, shot through with veins and broken blood vessels and the ovals where his fingernails had fallen off oozed a clear liquid. "That really stings," he muttered.

"That was a stupid thing to do," Virginia snapped.

"your such an idiot Billy!"

"Stupid Idiot is my middle name." Billy grinned.

"This is the beast you're going to unleash on the city?" Machiavelli said quietly. "A flesh eater, an aura drinker?"

"The first of many beasts," Dee said with a laugh that turned into a gurgling cough and doubled him over. "Let it prowl through the streets and feast for a while. You have the spells: awaken the monsters in the cells and send them into the city."

"And then what?" Machiavelli asked.

"Our work here is through." Dee spread his arms wide. "We have done as we were ordered to do by our respective masters. You can return on the next flight to Paris ... well, maybe not the next flight, I'm not sure the airport will be operating much longer." He pointed back toward the cellblock with his chin. "I saw some wyverns inside. Perhaps you should send them to the airport." He laughed again.

"And what about you, Doctor?" Machiavelli asked. "What happens to you when the Elders return?"

"You let me worry about that."

"I think I would like to know," the Italian said icily. His lips moved in a smile that didn't come close to his eyes. "We are in this together."

Dee folded his arms across his chest and the huge Lotan crept closer to him. The long tongues flickered up and down his back and ruffled his hair. He absently brushed them away. "I am considering my options," he said finally. "But first, let us send this beastie on its way..."

"No," Billy and Machiavelli said simultaneously.

"No?" Dee looked confused. "Ah, I see. You think we should awaken some of the creatures and send them all in together?" He nodded. "We could bring them ashore at a couple of places, a multipronged attack."

Billy the Kid shook his head. "We've been thinking..."

"You shouldn't strain yourself," Dee quipped.

Billy's face turned hard. "Your smart mouth is going to get you into trouble one of these days."

"Perhaps," Dee said, "but not by you."

"Enough," Machiavelli yelled. "What my impulsive young friend is trying to say is that we have decided the monsters should not be released into the city."

Dee blinked in surprise.

"It wouldn't be right," Billy said.

"Not right?" The Magician started to laugh. "Is this some sort of joke?" He looked at Virginia. "It's a joke, right?"

Dare shook her head slightly. "I don't think so," she said, moving slowly away from the Italian and American immortals.

Billy shifted his body, half turning so that he could watch both Dee and Dare at once.

"Why are you doing this, John?" Machiavelli asked. "It gains you nothing."

"It buys me time, Niccolò," Dee said. "Our Elder masters expect the creatures to be released into the city, and we must not disappoint them."

"Or they might come to investigate," Machiavelli said slowly. "And find you here ..."

"Just so," Dee agreed. "Let them watch the city from their Shadowrealms and rub their hands in glee at the destruction."

"So it's a distraction?" Billy the Kid spat. "Just a distraction!"

Dee grinned. "Like a stage magician's card trick. They'll be focused on the city and they'll not bother me here."

"Why? What are you up to, John?" Niccolò demanded.

"That's none of your business."

The Italian patted his jacket pocket. Paper rustled. "I have the spells to awaken the creatures; I won't do it. Moreover, I'll contact the Flamels and warn them what's coming across the bay. We both know just how dangerous Perenelle can be. She'll stop the Lotan."

"I don't think so," Dee whispered. "Remember, this creature drinks auras. I'm sure the Sorceress would taste sweet indeed." He looked from Billy to Machiavelli and then back to Billy. "And you're in this with him?"

The American took a step closer to the Italian immortal. "Sure am."

"Last chance," Dee warned.

"Oh, should I be scared?"

"So you've finally betrayed your masters," Dee said, speaking so softly that the words were barely audible over the breeze. "You have broken your oaths of service to them. Warlocks."

"You're hardly one to talk," Machiavelli said.

"Yes, but now your decision compromises my plans," the Magician said. He looked at Josh. "And where do you stand?" he demanded. "With me or with the Italian?"

Josh looked blankly from Dee to Machiavelli, mouth opening and closing in confusion. Of course he didn't want the monsters released into San Francisco; that was just wrong. He felt a sudden surge of heat on his shoulder and he reached around to pull Clarent free. As soon as it settled into his hand, warmth bloomed along the length of his arm and something shifted in his mind. The doubts eased, washed away with the certainty that it was absolutely right that the creatures be released in the streets. In fact, it was necessary. He remembered a phrase his father had used during a lecture he had given at Brown University the previous Christmas. He'd quoted Charles Darwin: "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."

A little death and destruction, a little hysteria and fear, would be good for the humani. The thought of the Lotan wandering along the Embarcadero was kind of funny. He started to grin at the image. And the more he thought about it, the more he saw it was necessary for the Lotan to be released-that would bring the Elders back, and that was what this was all about.

"Think of the destruction, Josh," Machiavelli said.

Buildings crumbling; people running, screaming ... The sword throbbed with each image.

"You've lived in San Francisco, Josh," Billy said. "You don't want that to happen there, do you?"

Virginia Dare stepped forward and put her arm around Josh's shoulder. "Josh knows where he stands," she said, her steely gray eyes locking onto his. "He stands with us. Isn't that right?"

Josh turned bright red, blinking as the musky sage scent of Dare's aura caught at the back of his throat. Disappointing Virginia Dare was the last thing he'd ever want to do. "Well, yes, I think so. I'm not sure..." The sword's hilt grew warmer and his fingers were pulled in tightly against it. He was suddenly so hot that he thought he was going to pass out. Images of destruction and chaos danced at the edge of his consciousness. Flames blossomed, and he was entranced by their beauty; he heard screams, but the sounds were almost musical.

"Where do you stand?" the Magician repeated.

"Think a moment before giving an answer," Billy warned.

"Oh, that is rich, coming from you," Dee said. "Josh, are you with me or with the Italian? And if you are with Machiavelli," he added contemptuously, "notice that moments ago he threatened to betray us to the Flamels. Here is someone else who will do everything possible to remain in control, even if it means condemning the world to a long, slow, lingering destruction."

"There are over eight hundred thousand people living in the city of San Francisco," Billy said angrily. "A lot of them-maybe even most of them-will die. You don't want that, Josh, do you?"

"Remember when we talked in Ojai last week?" Dee asked before Josh could answer. "Remember when I showed you the world as it could be, as it would be if the Elders returned-with clear air, pure water, unpolluted seas ..." As the Magician spoke, images flickered before Josh's eyes.

... an island set under cloudless azure skies. Endless fields of golden wheat marching into the distance. Trees laden with an assortment of exotic fruit.

... huge wind-blown desert dunes turning green with lush grass.

... a hospital ward with a long row of empty beds.

Josh nodded, mesmerized by what he saw. "A paradise."

"A paradise," Dee agreed. "But that is not what the Italian and the outlaw want. They want the world as it is: dirty and damaged, so they can work in the shadows."

"Josh," Billy said firmly, "don't listen to him. This is Dee, remember-a prince of liars."

"Flamel lied to you also," Dee quickly reminded him. "And remember what he and his wife did to your sister."

"Turned her against you," Virginia whispered. She reached over and rested her fingertips against the back of Josh's hand as if in sympathy. "And there is one thing I can teach you that neither Machiavelli nor Billy can," she said, lowering her voice and leaning in so that only he could hear her. "I will train you in the Magic of Air. The most useful of all the magics," she added persuasively.

The Magic of Air. The words had gotten his attention. "Sophie knows the Magics of Air, Fire and Water. I only know Water and Fire." As Josh spoke he was suddenly aware of how close Dare stood, of the heat from Clarent burning through his body. He was sweating, but the wind off the sea chilled the moisture on his flesh. He shivered.

"The Magic of Air," Virginia repeated. "It would make you the equal of your sister," she murmured. Then she leaned forward. "And maybe, one day, you will even be more powerful."

Josh turned away from Virginia and looked at Dee. "I'm with you," he said.

Dee grinned. "You've made the right decision, Josh."

"You've made the biggest mistake of your life," Niccolò said quietly, and Josh found that he could no longer look the Italian or Billy the Kid in the eye.

Dee turned to Lily and Billy and Niccolò suddenly realized she hadn't said a thing.

"where do you stand Lily" Lily started to walk over to Dee much to the horror of Billy and Niccolò.

"Lils" Billy whispered.

Lily turned to look at the two of them and gave them a small smile and a quick wink that neither Dee, Dare or Josh could see.

Out of the blue, Lily moved, launching herself at Dare, while Billy and Niccolò lunched at Dee. But Dare already had her flute to her lips. "Too slow," she breathed into the flute, and as the words turned to music, Niccolò Machiavelli, Lily and Billy the Kid crashed to the ground, unconscious.

Virginia rolled Machiavelli over with her foot and then stooped to pluck an envelope from his inside pocket. She tossed it to Josh, who handed it over to the Magician. "The instructions for awakening the monsters," Dare said.

The Magician clapped Josh on the shoulder. "Well done," he said sincerely. "Now let's get this pair into cells before they wake up."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Virginia said, nodding toward the Lotan.

Dee smiled, eyes dancing wildly. He looked at the creature and then waved both hands in front of it. "Go. Shoo." He pointed at the city less than a mile away. "Go and feed."

The Lotan turned, waddled over the rocks and splashed into the water. The seven heads bobbed above the waves for a moment before dipping below the surface, and then a curled bow wave headed toward the city.

"I wonder what the tourists on the Embarcadero will make of that," Dare said.

"Oh, I would imagine we'll hear the screams from here." The English Magician tapped the envelope against his leg impatiently. "Come, let us awaken some very hungry creatures." He looked down at the unconscious and bruised Machiavelli and Billy. "Hmm, maybe they'd like a little snack first." Then he turned to Josh, who was standing watching the trail of the Lotan as it headed toward San Francisco. "You've made the right decision, Josh," he said again.

Josh nodded. He hoped so. He sincerely hoped so. He looked at Dare and she smiled at him, and the young man felt easier. Even if he didn't entirely trust Dee, he did trust Virginia Dare.


	34. Juno's Tablet

i only own Lily

* * *

Chapter 34: Juno's Tablet

_Juno it has been a long time. Too long probably, you have cut yourself off from your family, your friends, those who love you and care about you, and yourself, for too long._

_Not that I don't understand why, it is not fair that you should lose so much over your life time, loosing your parents because you chose love._

_Losing your siblings because of who your husband was._

_Losing your home because it was necessary for it to sink._

_Losing your husband to both time and other women._

_Losing your daughter once, to her choice to become mortal and have family._

_And losing her again, losing her, your Son in Law, and your Grandson to Death._

_And losing your Granddaughter, the sole survivor of the accident, to her other grandmother._

_Indeed you have lost more than is truly fair, and I can understand your decision better than anyone else to hide who you truly were from Lily._

_I do not know if you are reading this tablet or not, if Lily died in that car crash, then you would not be reading this. But it is possible she survived and you are reading this._

_Your Granddaughter has a choice Juno, and I believe, knowing her as I do, that she will chose right, but you also have a choice Juno, will you fight for this world to stay, or will you let Danu Talis come back?_

_You may lose her Juno, and for that I am truly sorry, you may yet lose the last remembrance you have of your daughter. You may lose the young girl you have come to love._

_but I know you will get your brother and sister back, and you may also get your husband back._

_I hope that it is some small consolation, even though I'm pretty sure it isn't._

_I hope you make the right choice Juno  
_

* * *

i wanted to put in a short chapter on what Juno's tablet says what do you think?


	35. Like Old Times

i only own Lily

now, we are coming to the end of the Warlock, i will have 2 more chapters left and then i will not be updating until after the release of the Enchantress. i don't want to write something and have it be negated by the book, so, i don't know when the last two chapters will come up but, it possibly will be soon and then i wait for may 22, i may write a short story or two for Niccolo and Lily.

* * *

Chapter 35: Like Old Times

Sophie raised her gaze from the emerald tablet. Her eyes were swimming and her throat felt raw, as if she'd been screaming. She had a hundred questions, but no answers. Even the Witch of Endor's knowledge was no help: she didn't know how Abraham had foreseen all that he did.

Sophie looked around the group and immediately noticed that no one was speaking. Some had finished reading, while others were still concentrating on their tablets. Judging by their reactions, they had all received deeply personal messages written by a man-no, surely Abraham was more than just a man-who had lived ten thousand years ago.

Hel was crying, black tears dripping onto the emerald block, burning into the stone and sending gray smoke sizzling toward the sky. Sophie watched as she lifted the tablet and pressed her lips to it. For an instant her beastlike features faded, revealing her as she had once been: young and very beautiful.

Perenelle put down her green slab and rested her hands on it. She looked over at Sophie and nodded. Her eyes were huge with tears that reflected the emerald of the stone, and her expression was inexpressibly sad.

Prometheus and Mars simultaneously looked up from reading their own messages. Without speaking, they reached across the table to grasp one another's arms.

Niten's face had settled into an unreadable mask, but Sophie noticed that his index finger kept moving in what looked like a figure eight over the stone.

Odin shoved the tablet into his pocket and then stretched out to pat his niece's hand. He whispered something in her ear that made her smile.

Black Hawk's face was expressionless, but his fingers tapped an irregular beat on the back of the block of emerald.

Nicholas slipped his tablet into a trouser pocket and took his wife's hand, and when he looked at her, Sophie thought she saw something like awe in his eyes, as he if were seeing her for the first time.

Juno was the last to finish reading and she was crying, just as heartbrokenly as she had at the funeral in Sophie's vision. Prometheus, who was sitting next to her, wrapped his arms around her as she cried soundless heartbroken sobs.

"I have no idea what my husband wrote to any of you," Tsagaglalal said suddenly, breaking the deep silence that had fallen over the group. "Each message is unique to you, keyed to your DNA and your aura." The old woman was sitting at the head of the wooden picnic table. She was carefully slicing the skin off a vibrant green apple with a triangular sliver of black stone that resembled an arrowhead.

Sophie noticed that Tsagaglalal had arranged the green skin into shapes not dissimilar to those that had formed the words on her tablet when she'd first looked at it. She frowned: she'd seen someone else do that, though she couldn't remember where or when ... maybe it was one of the Witch's memories rather than her own.

Tsagaglalal indicated the empty chairs. "Join me," she said, and one by one, the group settled around the table. Nicholas and Perenelle sat side by side, facing Odin and Hel, while Mars and Prometheus sat facing one another, as did Niten and Black Hawk. Juno faced no one but sat next to Prometheus. Sophie sat alone at the end of the table, looking directly at Tsagaglalal.

"Some of you here knew my husband personally," she began. "Some of you," she added, looking at Prometheus and Mars, "he counted among his closest friends." She looked down the table at Juno, Odin and Hel. "And while some of you would never have sided with him, I would like to think that you respected him."

All the Elders sitting around the table nodded in agreement.

"Even before the destruction of Danu Talis, our world was beginning to fragment. The Elders were masters of the world. There were no more Earthlords, the Ancients had vanished and the Archons had been defeated. The new races, including the humani, were still looked upon as little more than slaves, and so, with no one else to defeat, the Elders started to fight among themselves."

"It was a terrible time," Odin rumbled. Tsagaglalal looked up and down the table. "Some of you were with me on the island when it fell. You know what it was like then."

The Elders nodded.

"Well, now Dr. John Dee intends to ensure that it never happened."

Hel looked up. "Is that a bad thing?" she asked, and then the realization of what she was saying seemed to sink in. "Where does that leave us?"

Tsagaglalal nodded. "This world, and the ten thousand years of history that created it, will simply cease to exist. But, more importantly, if Danu Talis does not fall, then the warring Elders will destroy it. And not just the island-the entire planet."

"So Dee must be stopped," Odin said simply. He nodded to his niece. "But that is why we are here. We have come to kill Dee for his crimes."

"It is why I am here too," Mars said.

"And we know he is on Alcatraz," Hel said. "Let us go there and finish this."

"I can take you," Black Hawk offered quickly. "I've got a boat."

"And I'm going too," Sophie added. "Josh is there."

"No, you're not," Tsagaglalal said firmly. "You are staying here."

"No." There was no way the old woman-no matter who she was-would be able to keep Sophie off Alcatraz.

"If you ever want to see your brother again, you will stay with me."

Prometheus leaned forward and tapped the emerald tablet he still held in his hand. "I too was told to remain here."

"And I," Niten added. The Swordsman looked at Tsagaglalal. "Do you know why?"

She shook her head.

"I do," Perenelle whispered. She held up her own tablet. "There was no message to me from the past. When I looked at it, I saw Alcatraz, and I saw the ghost of Juan Manuel de Ayala, the man who named the island and who now stands guardian over it. He helped me escape when Dee held me there. De Ayala spoke to me through the tablet, and I floated high over the island and saw through his eyes."

"And what did you see?" Nicholas asked.

"Dee and Dare, Josh, Machiavelli and Billy the Kid, a young woman. And the Lotan."

"The Lotan," Odin rumbled uneasily. "Fully grown?"

"Fully grown. But there is dissension among the immortals," Perenelle continued. "I could not hear what was happening, could only see the images, but it seemed to me that Machiavelli and the Kid did not want the Lotan released onto the city. There was an argument, the young woman-"

Juno cut in gently "Lily, her name is Lily"

Prometheus looked at Juno and said "you told all of us that your two grandchildren died with their parents"

Juno smiled sadly "Lily was the sole survivor of the accident, I hid her from everyone, even Aten" she then turned to Parenelle and nodded for her to continue.

Lily pretended she was going to join Dee and Dare, she went to attack Dare, but Dare rendered the three of them unconscious."

"And the Lotan?" Odin asked. "I have seen its work before. It is a terrifying creature."

"Dee sent it into the water. It is heading toward the city right now." She turned to Prometheus and then to Niten across the table. "This is why both of you were asked to remain here. You must stand against the monster and protect the city. The creature is heading toward the Embarcadero. It will come ashore within the hour." She turned to Juno "what were you told?"

Juno smiled "I was told to make a choice between my home, and this world, and I chose this world, I'll stand with my brother, I've been on a different side from him for to long."

She then hugged her brother again and he returned the gesture.

"Take my car," Tsagaglalal said immediately. "It's parked in the front." She pushed her keys across the table, and Niten snatched them up and was already hurrying away when Nicholas stood.

"We'll come with you," he called after the man, and Perenelle nodded.

Suddenly everyone was moving. Prometheus scrambled to his feet, then leaned over to kiss Tsagaglalal's cheek. "Just like old times, eh?"

She pressed her hand against his face. "Be safe," she whispered.

Juno hugged Tsagaglalal and said "don't worry, I'll keep him out of trouble, as usual!" she laughed.

Mars came around the table and embraced his former enemy. Their auras crackled and fizzed, and for a moment, the image of two warriors in matching exotic red armor appeared. "Fight and live," Mars said. "And when all this is over, there will be time for many adventures. Just like the old days."

"Just like the old days." Prometheus squeezed the Elder's shoulders. "Fight and live."

Juno smiled and hugged Hel and Odin wishing them the best of luck. And then she hugged Mars and kissed his cheek, whispering in his ear "if you see my granddaughter, tell her I love her, no matter what she may think."

Mars smiled and nodded.

"I'll get my jeep," Black Hawk said. He left, whistling tunelessly.

"Wait," Sophie said. "Perenelle, what about Josh? What about my brother?"

Everyone turned to look at the Sorceress, and Sophie suddenly knew the meaning of the expression she'd seen earlier in her eyes. "He chose Dee and Dare again. Sophie, your brother is truly lost to us."


	36. Living With Choices

alright, so i put in a dream sequence in this chapter, in which Lily talks to her mother, and re lives the car accident, i don't know if you will want to skip the car accident bit or not but anyway one more chapter left until after may 22

Disclaimer: i own nothing! except Lily.

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Chapter 36: Living With Choices

_Lily stared around in the blackness not entirely sure what she was doing there._

"_Hello Lily" Lily turned to look at the speaker, amazed to find it was her mother. Eileithyia known as Ella by her husband and children, stood tall and as beautiful as ever, her pail ivory skin standing out in contrast to the blackness that surrounded them both, her pretty heart shaped face more noticeable than before, her blue eyes, a clear reflection of Lily's. Her hair and Lily's, was hard to see in the blackness since it blended in so well. "You've grown" there was love and devotion in her mothers voice, and Lily felt silly at the tears that she felt in her eyes._

"_Am I dreaming?" Lily asked aloud._

_Ella smiled "no dear, your simply unconscious, this was the only way I could talk to you where you would see me."_

_Lily didn't know how she got there, but she was suddenly in her mothers arms, crying into her chest._

_Ella stroked Lily's hair lovingly and said "I know sweetie, I know."_

_Lily looked up at Ella and said "I know the truth mom, I know who your mother is."_

_Ella looked sad but not surprised "I know, your father and I, we were going to tell you and James when we got home that night, but then the accident- I could have come to you in your dreams but I didn't know what to tell you."_

_Lily wiped her eyes and whispered "why didn't Juno tell me sooner?"_

_Ella's eyes filled with tears she couldn't hold, "because she was afraid of losing you sweetie, afraid you would leave her all alone again, she's lost so much and been alone for so long sweetie."_

_Lily bit her lip "mom, I think the end of the world is coming, and I don't know what I should do, I don't even know If I'm on the right side of all this mess!"_

_Ella smiled "remember what your father said? The only way to be on the wrong side of a war, is if you're fighting for a side you don't believe in" she stroked Lily's cheek "now here is my bit of advise for you, what ever you chose, what ever you do, your father, brother and I will all support and love you but whatever choice you make, make sure you can live with it for the rest of your life, however long it may be."_

_Lily looked into her mothers eyes and said "I miss you mommy, I miss you and Daddy and little James." She sniffled a little bit._

_Ella sniffled as well "as we all miss you darling."_

_Lily hugged her mother tightly "I love you all so very much"_

_Ella squeezed her daughter "and we love you, never forget that sweetie, no matter what, we love you."_

_Ella then let go of her daughter "our time has run out darling, I don't know when we'll see you next , but we'll be waiting for you to come home"_

"_Mommy wait!" Lily cried not wanting her mother to go, she saw a flash of white and two other figures appered in the light and waved to Lily with Ella when she joined them _

"_We love you sis!" the 14 year old James called._

"_We'll see you when you come home" Daniel Johnson said "we'll be waiting for you sweetie."_

_And then they were gone and Lily found herself dreaming of the horrible night when she lost her family._

_She was sitting behind her mother staring out the window at the stars, her mother in front of her was asleep, as was her brother beside her, her father was driving, they were heading home, back to Santa Clarita from Disneyland, it was late, almost 12:30. Lily turned away from her window and looked ahead only to suddenly headlights right in front of them, the two cars crashed together in a head on collision, Lily closed her eyes and screamed as it happened, shards of glass went flying everywhere, giving Lily shallow cuts, she opened her eyes as silence fell, her Parents weren't moving at all, she couldn't tell what happened to the guy who hit them, but James, James was now awake and had deep cuts everywhere, he was crying and Lily held him to her murmuring that it would all be okay. She used her parents cell phone to call 911 she told them where she and her brother were and begged them to hurry, she tried to stop James' bleeding but it did no good, James was saying he was sleepy, and Lily tried to keep him awake, but he fell asleep, she tried to wake him up, but he didn't stir, by the time the doctors arrived her brother was five minutes dead, they tried to revive him but they couldn't, he had died from blood loss, she would live, she had no major cuts, just a few small cuts that needed stitches, the next day she and her grandmother, her fathers mother who was taking her in, were told what had happened, the man who had crashed into them, was drunk he had died instantly and there was no one else in his car. Lily heard a bloodcurdling scream of rage inside her head at this information and this scream got louder and louder, until it woke her up._

Dr. John Dee stood in the middle of the cellblock and howled his rage. Behind him, a ragged and filthy sphinx regarded him with an expression of distaste on her face.

Virginia and Josh came racing into the building and Dee spun around to greet them, his face contorted with anger. "Useless!" he shouted. "Useless, useless, useless!" He flung a pile of paper into the air and it rained down like confetti.

"What's useless?" Virginia said, keeping her voice calm, eyes trained on the sphinx. The creature flickered her tongue at Dare, who touched her flute. The tongue disappeared.

Lily watched this and snickered, she was in a cell with Niccolò she was rather pleasantly surprised to realize that, Billy was in a separate cell from them.

Josh picked up two pieces of a torn page and held them together. "These look like they're from an Egyptian tomb." He turned the page sideways. "They sort of look familiar. I think my dad may have had photos of something like this on the wall of his study."

"It is from the pyramid of Unas, who reigned in Egypt over four thousand years ago," Machiavelli said, he and Lily were in the cell directly behind Dee. Lily stood up and walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "They used to be called Pyramid Texts, but nowadays we call them ..."

"... the Book of the Dead," Josh finished. "My dad does have these pictures. Was this how you were going to awaken the creatures?"

Machiavelli, clutching the bars of his cell, smiled but said nothing. Lily smirked and giggled happily.

Virginia stood in front of Dee and stared into his eyes, using her will to calm him down. "So you tried to use the pages to awaken the creatures. Tell me what happened."

Dee jabbed a finger into the nearest cell. It was empty. Virginia stepped closer and discovered the pile of white dust in the corner.

"I don't even know what was in the cell-some winged monstrosity. Giant vampire bat, I think. I said the words, and the creature opened its eyes and immediately crumbled to dust."

"Maybe you said a word wrong?" Virginia suggested. She plucked a scrap of paper from Josh's hands. "I mean, it looks difficult."

"I am fluent," Dee snapped.

"He is," Machiavelli said, "I will give him that. And his accent is very good too, though not quite as good as mine." Lily smiled girlishly.

Dee spun back to the cell holding Machiavelli and Lily. "Tell me what went wrong."

Machiavelli seemed to be considering it; then he shook his head. "I don't think so."

Dee jerked his thumb at the sphinx. "Right now she's absorbing your aura, ensuring that you cannot use any spells against me. But she'll be just as happy eating your flesh. Isn't that true?" he said, looking up into the creature's female face.

"Oh, I love Italian," she rumbled. She stepped away from Dee and dipped her head to look into the opposite cell. "Give me this one," she said, nodding at Billy the Kid. "He'll make a tasty snack." Her long black forked tongue flickered in the air before the outlaw, who immediately grabbed it, jerked it forward and allowed it to snap back like an elastic band. She screamed, coughed, and squawked all at the same time.

Billy grinned. "I'll make sure I'll choke you on the way down." Lily was laughing at the sight.

"It might be difficult to do that if you have no arms," the sphinx said thickly, working her tongue back and forth.

"I'll still give you indigestion."

Dee looked at Machiavelli. "Tell me," he said again, "or I will feed your young American friend to the beast."

"Tell him nothing," Billy yelled.

"This is one of those occasions when I am in agreement with Billy. I am going to tell you nothing."

The Magician looked from one side of the cell to the other. Then he looked at Machiavelli. "What happened to you? You were one of the Dark Elders' finest agents in this Shadowrealm. There were times you even made me look like an amateur."

"John, you were always an amateur." Machiavelli smiled. "Why, look at the mess you're in now."

"Mess? What mess? I'm not in a mess." Dee's eyes started to dance wildly, and a giggle bubbled up from his chest. "You have no idea what I've planned. It is, not to put too fine a point on it, masterful."

"Your arrogance will be your downfall, John," Machiavelli said. He turned away from the cell door and lay down on the narrow cot. Lily leaned against the wall across from the cot standing up.

"I will kill the outlaw," Dee said suddenly. "I will feed him to the sphinx."

Machiavelli remained lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Lily said nothing, she didn't want Billy to die, but they all knew what was at stake if Dee got hold of what he wanted.

"Do you want me to do it?" Dee screamed at Machiavelli. "Do you want me to kill Billy the Kid?" He leaned against the cell and looked in on Machiavelli. "What! No last-minute attempt to save your new friend?"

"I can save Billy and condemn thousands to death, or I can condemn Billy and save thousands," the Italian said quietly. "What do you think I should do, Billy?" he called out.

The outlaw stepped up to the bars of the cell. "When I went to school-which I did for a bit-we were taught a saying that really stuck with me. `It is better that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.' "

Niccolò Machiavelli nodded. "I like that. Yes, I like that very much." Then he turned his head away from Dee. "You have your answer."

Dee Paused for a moment before saying "I wonder, if it were Lily's life at stake if you would say the same thing" Machiavelli made no moves and Lily smiled "you know better Dee, don't make idle threats"

Dee looked at Lily "I never thought you would turn traitor Lily, Niccolò and the Kid maybe, but you, you were so mindlessly devoted to serving your elder, what happened?"

Lily looked at Dee and said "I got a slap in the face of reality Dee, and I realized, I was fighting for the side I didn't believe in"

Dee smiled "the Kid is your friend too Lily, don't you want to save his life?"

Lily looked at Dee "I do want to save his life, but not at the cost of thousands of others Dee, get on with it already!"

Dee spun back to the sphinx. "He's yours."

The creature's long black tongue snapped out and wrapped around Billy's throat, pulling him in hard against the bars. "Lunch," the sphinx rasped.

A single pure note rang out in the cellblock, and the sphinx collapsed into an ungainly heap on the floor. "No," Virginia breathed.

Billy crashed back into his cell, both hands holding his neck, which now had a solid red stripe around it. He was gasping for air.

Dee was speechless with rage. His mouth kept opening and closing, but no sound came out other than a hissing breath.

"John, be reasonable," Virginia said. "I've known Billy a very long time, and we have had some great adventures together. He's as close as I have to a friend. When he dies, which he will, sooner or later, because he can be so stupid," she added, glaring at the American immortal, "it should be with a degree of dignity, rather than being fed to this ... this thing."

"Thanks," Billy wheezed.

"You're welcome. And you owe me."

"I'll remember."

Virginia turned back to Dee. "I'll make a deal."

"For what?" he demanded.

"For Billy's life," she said evenly.

"Do you forget who you're dealing with?" Dee snarled.

"Do you?" she asked softly.

Dr. John Dee drew in a deep shuddering breath. He took a step backward, hit the heavy bulk of the sphinx and sat down hard on the ground at her feet. A strong musky miasma swirled around him. "A deal ...," he coughed.

"A deal."

"What can you offer me?"

Virginia twirled her flute in her fingers, the sudden movement sending a quartet of notes rushing through it. They hung heavy on the air.

And then movement rustled through every cell.

Dee shot to his feet. He darted from one side of the cellblock to the other. All the creatures were stirring. "You can do this? You can awaken them?"

Virginia twirled her flute. "Of course. Usually I put things to sleep, but the same song, reversed, brings them awake again. This is obviously nothing more than a simple Somnus spell."

Josh stepped away from Virginia and peered into the nearest cell. Something with fur, feathers and scales lay curled in a heap. But even as he watched, a shudder ran through it.

"Virginia," Billy said urgently. "Don't do this."

"Shut up, Billy."

"Think of the people in San Francisco."

"I don't know any of the people in San Francisco," Virginia answered, then paused. "Well, actually I do, and I don't like them. But I do like you, Billy, and I'm not going to allow you to end up as lunch for some raggedy lion-monster-thingy."

"A sphinx," Machiavelli corrected her. He was standing at the bars again as was Lily. "Mistress Dare," the Italian said carefully. "I absolutely applaud you for what you want to do for your friend. But I urge you to think of the bigger picture."

"Oh, but you are mistaken, Italian," Dee said quickly. "Virginia is thinking of the bigger picture. Aren't you, dear?"

Virginia smiled. "The doctor has promised me the world," she said quietly. "In fact, he has promised me all the worlds."

Lily whispered "Gina, don't do this! Dee is crazy and he will turn on you, he turns on every one Gina!"

Virginia smiled at Lily "he won't turn on me."

And then she put the flute to her mouth and the scent of sage wafted through the cellblock as a beautiful, delicate and ethereal melody bounced off its walls.

Josh felt Clarent tremble in time to the music, vibrating and pulsing to the ancient rhythm. And then Durendal, still strapped to his back, started to throb against his flesh like a heart.

And Josh felt a terrible hunger, accompanied by a ferocious rage, burn through him. It washed through his body, until a red mist actually drifted across his eyes, and he was looking at the world through a film of crimson. His aura blazed, the gold touched with streaks of bloodred. Sparks crackled off the cell bars, spitting, hissing off the metal, crackling in time to Virginia's eldritch music.

And then all the creatures in the cells came awake.


	37. Pier 14

Disclaimer: i only own Lily

alright so until the book the Enchantress comes out this will be the last chapter for a while. my apologies, but i will probably do a few one shots for Lily and Machiavelli, or Lily and Billy.

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Chapter 37: Pier 14

"I've never been here before," Nicholas Flamel admitted. He stopped and looked up at the sign above his head.

PIER 14

"Oh, Nicholas, I told you, you need to get out of the shop more often." Perenelle slipped her arm through her husband's as they walked beneath the blocky gray entrance to the new pier. "It's been open about a year now. And it is one of my favorite places in the city."

"You never told me," he said, sounding surprised.

"So even after all these years, we can still surprise one another," she teased.

He leaned over and kissed her quickly on the cheek. "Even after all these years," he said. "So enlighten me-how often do you come to this place?"

"Five, maybe six times a week."

"Oh?"

"Every morning when I'd leave the shop, I'd usually walk down to the Embarcadero, amble along the promenade and end up walking the length of this pier. Where did you think I was for that hour?"

"I thought you'd popped across the road for coffee."

"Tea, Nicholas," Perenelle said in French. "I drink tea. You know I hate coffee."

"You hate coffee?" Nicholas said. "Since when?"

"Only for the last eighty years or so."

Nicholas blinked, pale eyes reflecting the blue of the sea. "I knew that. I think."

"You're teasing me."

"Maybe," he admitted. He looked down the pier. "This is nice. Long, too."

"Fifteen feet wide and six hundred and thirty-seven feet from the shore," she said significantly.

"Ah," Flamel nodded in understanding. "The trick will be to stop the Lotan from even coming ashore."

"If it gets onto dry land, we've lost," Perenelle said. She pointed off to the left, to where Alcatraz was hidden by the curve of the bay. "The currents run very fast around the island. Anything going into the water will be swept down here, into the bay. I cannot imagine it coming ashore farther up the coast."

"If it does ...," Nicholas began.

"If it does, we'll deal with it," Perenelle finished. Then she smiled to take the sting from her words. "If the current pushes it beyond the bridge, then there's a good chance it will end up on the other side of the bay, in Alameda, perhaps. Getting there at this time of the afternoon, in traffic, is going to take a while. It could do immense damage before we reached it."

"So we have to make sure we stop it here," he said.

"Exactly. Well, you asked me to get you as close to the water as possible. I presume you have a plan?"

"My love, I always have a plan."

They heard footsteps rattling behind them and turned as Prometheus, Juno and Niten came hurrying up. The two men were both carrying fishing rods over their shoulders. The slender Japanese man grinned. "Do not ask him how much it cost to hire these," he said. "How much?" Nicholas asked.

"Too much," Prometheus answered furiously. "I could have bought an entire fishing boat, or at least a very good fish dinner, for what it cost to rent them for a couple of hours," he grumbled. "Plus a deposit in case we don't bring them back."

Juno giggled "I'm sure the world will compensate"

Prometheus looked at her darkly "I can throw you in the water little sister"

Juno went wide eyed "and ruin this pretty dress?" she had changed into a white flowing sun dress. "think of all the men who will stair at me while I'm wearing a wet white dress"

Prometheus' eyes darkend.

"What's the plan?" Niten asked. He held out an empty bucket. "We can't really go fishing. We don't have bait."

"Oh, but we do." Nicholas smiled. "You are our bait."

Niten and Prometheus stood side by side, leaning over the rail of the semicircular viewing point at the end of Pier 14. With their fishing rods arced out over the water, they looked like any other fishermen, chatting quietly together, ignoring the views of the city, the bridge, Treasure Island and the Embarcadero. Juno was standing nearby them leaning against the railing and looking around like she was enthralled with the sights.

Nicholas and Perenelle sat on seats behind them. The Alchemyst had discovered that the seats revolved and had been amusing himself by swinging back and forth. His chair squeaked with each turn. Finally Prometheus turned and glared at the immortal. "If you do that one more time, I'm going to feed you to the Lotan myself."

"And I will help," Niten added.

Juno snickered "I'll leave the men to do the heavy lifting"

Perenelle suddenly stood. "Something's coming," she said quietly.

"I don't see anything ...," the Alchemyst said, and then he spotted it. A curling wave, a dark irregularity in the waters of the bay. He turned back to the two Elders and the Swordsman. "You know what you have to do."

They nodded and returned to what they had been doing, but Juno put her arm around Prometheus'.

"Perenelle," Nicholas said.

The Sorceress nodded. Leaning on the rail, she glanced at the people walking along the pier. Some were obviously tourists-the cameras were always a dead giveaway-while the mother with a toddler in a stroller was probably a local. There were a couple of elderly fishermen who seemed fixed to the rail and a trio of young men who were practicing their juggling skills with oranges and apples.

Perenelle focused and her hair crackled with static sparks.

Immediately the two fishermen packed up their rods and buckets and ambled away, still not speaking. The tourists suddenly lost interest in the views of the city and the bay, and the child in the stroller started wailing, deciding it was time to go home. Only the three jugglers remained.

"They are concentrating on their juggling," Nicholas muttered. "That is why you cannot influence them."

"Of course." Perenelle laughed. "I'm getting slow in my old age."

A seagull swooped in and snatched an apple from one of the jugglers as he tossed it into the air. A second seagull speared an orange, and suddenly four of the huge birds dived in around the boys, pecking at them, speckling them with stinking bird droppings. The youths tossed the remainder of the fruit into the sea and hurried back down the pier.

"Nicely done," Nicholas said. "Now make sure no one gets close."

Perenelle nodded.

The Alchemyst looked at the Elder and the immortal. "Prometheus, Juno, Niten. It's time."

The air suddenly filled with the sweet odor of green tea, then the sharper smell of anise, and then the sickly scent of lotus blossoms. A faint red glow formed around Prometheus's hands and spiraled out along the length of his fishing rod. It crackled and sizzled and then dipped down along the fishing line and hissed into the water. Juno's Aura went down Prometheus' arm and went down the fishing line as well.

Niten's royal blue aura crept over his hands like a tattoo. It flowed up the length of the carbon-fiber fishing rod, discoloring it, and then dripped like ink down the fishing line to stain the water under the pier a deep navy.

And the dark shape in the water suddenly changed direction.

"The Lotan will be drawn to your auras," Nicholas said. "It will taste them in the water the same way a shark smells blood. We need to get it close, as close as possible, but you will all have to be careful. We don't want it consuming you."

"Here it comes," Niten said. The whites of his eyes, his teeth and his tongue had turned blue.

"Ready," Prometheus said.

Juno simply nodded.

Nicholas Flamel touched the green scarab he now wore around his neck and felt it grow warm in his hand. The spell was a simple one, something he had performed a thousand times before, though never on such a large scale.

A red-skinned head broke the surface of the water ... followed by a second ... and a third ... and then a fourth head, black and twice as large as the others appeared. Suddenly there were seven heads streaking toward them.

"Let's hope no one is filming this," Niten murmured.

"No one would believe it anyway." Prometheus grinned. "Seven-headed monsters simply do not exist. If anyone saw it, they'd say it was Photoshopped."

"I can feel it," Niten said. "It's sucking the aura from me."

"Me too," Prometheus agreed.

"me as well" Juno gulped.

"Let it come a little closer," Nicholas muttered. He placed a hand on each of the mens shoulders, and their auras were tinged with his green.

"Alchemyst." Niten's voice was strained.

"Another few feet. Closer is better."

"Nicholas," Perenelle said in alarm.

The red and blue stains in the water were now flowing toward the creature like iron-filings pulled to a magnet. They watched as the Lotan's long thick body rose higher in the water.

"It's going to jump!" Prometheus shouted. Niten gritted his teeth and said nothing. Juno closed her eyes tight. The Lotan sucked one last taste of their auras and then erupted straight up out of the water, rising on its tail, seven mouths gaping wide, hundreds of savage teeth ready to ...

Mint flooded the air, heavy, thick and cloying.

There was a pop ... followed by an explosion of green, red, blue and purple that covered the three men and Juno in a mist of scented colors.

Nicholas shot out his fist and caught a small blue-veined egg that dropped into the palm of his hand.

Prometheus, Juno and Niten staggered back and slumped against the metal rails. They were all breathing heavily, and there were new lines on their faces. Strands of gray hair had sprouted in Niten's dark eyebrows. Nicholas Flamel held up the small egg between thumb and forefinger. "Behold the Lotan," he said.

Prometheus gasped. "Impressive. What did you do?"

"When your auras had drawn it in to the pier, I allowed it to ingest a little of my own aura. Once that was within its body, I used a simple Transmutation spell, converting one element into another. It is one of the basic principles of alchemy." He grinned. "I returned the Lotan to its original form.

"An egg." Prometheus looked surprised.

Juno laughed happily and rested her forehead against Prometheus' shoulder.

"Where we all begin," Flamel said. He tossed the blue-veined egg into the air ... where a seagull snatched it, threw back its head and swallowed it whole.


	38. Trust

alright! the Enchantress is out and now i can continue!

Disclaimer: i only own Lily.

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Chapter 38: Trust.

As soon as Dee and Dare were out of sight Lily closed her eyes and looked for her aura, with the sphinx knocked out she would be able to access it easily she took a deep breath and made the door to the cell she and Niccolò were in, open.

Niccolò looked at her with wide eyes and she said "later!" she went to Billy's cell and opened his too "come on, we don't have much time" she lead them both down the hall "we need to find a way too keep the beasts from getting off the island!" Lily said

"How?" Billy asked "we're three immortals, what can we do to stop them all?"

Lily said "haven't quite figured that part of the plan out yet."

Niccolò raised his eyebrows "we have a plan?"

Lily muttered "it's a work in progress, now shut up and let me think."

"I don't think your going to be able to think for long!" Billy said pointing down the hall. Odin and Hel were standing at the end of the hall looking at the three immortals.

Lily stopped and gulped "we're dead." She whispered.

"Not yet your not" said a voice from behind them.

All three immortals turned to look behind them and saw Mars Ultor looking them over, when his eyes rested on Lily they soffened a bit "You really do look like your mother."

Lily was in a defensive position and said "we don't work for the dark elders anymore; we don't want these monsters escaping off the island anymore than you do."

Mars raised his eyebrows "When I saw you a few days ago I read your intentions clearly, you wanted this world destroyed, what changed?"

Lily said "I was reminded of how my mother and father raised me, and realized it wasn't my place to condemn thousands."

Mars smiled and looked at Machiavelli "You seem to have finally made up your mind about your own intentions; you also wish to stop these creatures?"

Machiavelli nodded solemnly "Yes."

Mars then turned to Billy "And you?"

Billy stared right into the Elders eyes "My loyalties are no longer with the dark elders."

Mars looked the three of them over again and looked at Odin who nodded. "They speak the truth" the one eyed elder said.

Mars nodded "Then we should move before the sphinx wakes up." He then turned to Lily "Your Grandmother sends her love."

Lily's eyes widened "you saw her? When?"

Mars shrugged "a few hours ago, she's with the Flamels now, helping to stop the Lotan."

Lily smiled "And I'll send her my love back when I get the chance."

The three Elders and three Humans ran down the hall way in the direction Lily, Niccolò and Billy had been heading. It wasn't long before they ran into trouble though. Lily didn't know how it happened but Hel was wounded, Billy and Niccolò carried her and she followed behind them to guard their backs, while they headed to the recreation yard, lead by Odin and Mars.

When they were all in the recreation yard, Mars slammed the door they had just come through shut and put his back to it. The door shuddered ominously, Lily gulped and helped Billy and Machiavelli carry Hel to the bottom of the steps and helped them tend to Hel's wounds. Mars launched himself away from the door just as a spiky tusk burst through the metal and ripped upward, shredding the door like paper.

Lily gulped at the sight but focused on helping Hel, relaxing a little when Mars and Odin stood in front of them protectively. Lily turned her head occasionally to watch Mars and Odin discuss how to take on the Hus Krommyon. She watched in surprise when a parrot attacked the Hus Krommyon clawing at it and distracting it. She grinned when Odin stabbed it with his spear and groaned silently when Billy cheered loudly.

"Did you see the size of that thing?" He asked Hel.

"I've seen bigger." Was the Elders lisped reply.

Lily looked a the Parrot who had distracted the Hus Krommyon and got up walking over to Odin and Mars.

"Who are you, little bird?" Mars asked before his nostrils flared "Mint. Nicholas?" he asked in astonishment.

Lily stared at the parrot wide eyed as it opened its beak and squawked "Flamel."

Mars saluted the little bird with his sword. "Alchemyst. It is good to… ahem… see you." Lily sniggered a little at that. "We are alive, as you can see. Our numbers have doubled, but we are in dire straits. There are too many of them, far too many, and the sphinx is prowling." He stopped and then added, "I cannot believe I am giving a report to a parrot."

Lily snickered and quipped "trust me, neither can we, you look ridicules." She then smiled serenely when the Elder gave her a small glare.

"Areop-Enap," the parrot chirruped.

Lily tilted her head in confusion "what did he just say?"

Mars turned to Odin "Did it just say 'Areop-Enap'?"

The parrot danced from foot to foot. "Areop-Enap, Areop-Enap, Areop-Enap."

Odin nodded "It said 'Areop-Enap.' "

Lily looked very confused "What the hell is an Areop-Enap?"

The two male elders looked at her in surprise "did your mother teach you nothing of her heritage?" Mars asked

Lily's eyes darkened "I know my mythology if that's what your asking, I've just never heard of an 'Areop-Enap' "

Odin explained "Areop-Enap is known as the Old Spider, she would be an amazing ally if she'll fight with us, but first we must tend to Hel's injuries." Odin then grabbed the Hus Krommyon by one massive tusk and dragged it off the steps.

"What are you doing with that?" Lily asked weakly fearing the answer.

"Hel isn't a vegetarian." Odin grinned. "And she loves pork."

"Raw?" Lily's voice came out as a very amusing squeak, that made the two elders chuckle.

"Especially Raw" Mars answered.

Lily turned to the parrot and said "Flamel, if your still with Juno, if your still with my grandmother, tell her I love her too."

The Parrot nodded before it flew away.

* * *

After Nicholas reported what he had seen to his ally's he turned to Juno "Lily said to give a message to her grandmother, she said to tell you that she loves you too."

"Grandmother?" Perenelle breathed horrified "are you saying that the young woman working with Machiavelli is-?"

Juno smiled sadly at Perenelle "Yes Sorceress, that young woman is Eileithyias' daughter.

Perenelle closed her eyes sadly. Juno smiled "Eileithyia was happier as a human, don't doubt for a second that you did the wrong thing, she was happier with her husband than amongst the elders and next generation, you gave her, what I myself could not."

Prometheus' eyes widened "You turned her human? How?"

Perenelle smiled "The Codex."

* * *

so now you know how Lily's mother became human, or rather, mortal really! i will try to update soon, please review!


	39. Squeamish Surprises

Disclaimer: the secrets of the immortal Nicholas Flamel belongs to Michael Scott

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Chapter 39: Squeamish Surprises

"Oh man, I am never- and I mean _never_- eating meat again." Billy said as he turned away from the sight of the wounded Hel ripping into the enormous boar's carcass. He was glad to see that he wasn't the only one reacting badly to Hel's eating habits, Lily was turning very white.

"Humans were never meant to be vegetarian," Hel bubbled her face and fangs black with Fluids.

"You're not human," Lily pointed out also turning away from the sight.

"It is good for me. It will restore my aura. It will help me heal." There was a snap like breaking wood followed by a sucking sound.

Lily put her hand over her mouth, Billy looked up at Machiavelli. "Whatever you do, do not tell me what she's doing right now."

The Italian immortal shook his head. "She has a healthy appetite, I'll give her that," he said, then added with a sly grin, "and the marrow is particularly nutritious!"

Lily made a gagging sound and said "I'll go over to that side of the recreation yard if anyone needs me."

She hurried past the center of the recreation yard and went to the wall she rested her forehead against the cool stone and took deep breaths of the cool night air, before opening her eyes and looking down, she was surprised to find three small emerald tablets laid out like a fan. (A.N. In the book Marethyu says to Virginia that Abraham left tablets for those he loved or respected, now I know that Billy and Niccolò weren't at the picnic but Black Hawk was, I felt that Billy and Niccolò deserved tablets since they chose to fight with the Flamels, and I wanted to give Lily one too.)

She picked up the one at the right end and held it in both her hands, and was surprised to see words appear on the tablet.

_I am Abraham of Danu Talis, sometimes called the Mage, and I send greetings to you, Lillian Johnson, daughter of Eileithyia, child of Daniel, sister of James, and Princess of Danu Talis. For that is who you are to the elders who follow and respect your grandfather, and that is who you are too me. I respect your grandfather and grandmother, I respect your mother, but above them all, I have come to love and respect you, there are few beings from your time that I have come to love, but you are one of them.._

_I know who you are Lily and I have watched over you from the moment of your birth, I know the pain and torment you carry inside your heart and soul, I know the secret you have told no one. I know that your little brother died in your arms, and I know what his dying in your arms did to you. It destroyed you, it shattered your heart and soul and made you turn cold, reserved, withdrawn. And I know I was not the only one to sad that smiling happy carefree princess turn into an isolated woman. I know that the smiling girl you once were will never completely come back, but I also know that if you survive this day, you will be changed, and hopefully for the better._

_You are strong and you are young Lily and with you there on Alcatraz, you will be able to save a life, but only one, there will be deaths among your group, there will be pain, and there will be tears, make sure you chose wisely when you chose who to save._

_I know you have made mistakes in your past, I know that when you joined with the dark elders, you wanted the worlds destruction, but knowing your heart as I do I can understand why you believed that it was right, if the humans were enslaved they couldn't hurt each other, they couldn't do stupid things. In your mind, the world you live in is no place for human kind._

_I am hoping by now you have come to see the light on things, and that you have accepted that part of the price for the freedom of human kind, is for their ability to make choices that hurt one another and make mistakes that will cost people their lives._

_I know your future Lily, and I know that should you survive this day, you will be very happy indeed. A family, a home, friends, I know there will always be a dark seed in your soul, but I hope that you will ignore that seed and focus on the good things to come in your life._

_I also hope, for your sake as well as your grandmothers, that you can forgive her for the secret she kept from you, even though I know you do love her, a part of you still can't forgive her for keeping that secret, but what you should know, is while she did do it for selfish reasons, that secret has kept you alive, if it had been revealed before now who you were, there would have been several attempts to use you as a pawn, and a few other attempts on your life._

_Your grandmother does love you Lily, she wept when you walked away with your other grandmother on the day of your families funeral. She has lost much in her life, she lost her home, watched her husband have affairs with other women, and she lost her beloved daughter. You were right, when she first found you and hid you it was to preserve the last memory of her daughter, but she has grown to love you Lily, more than you know, and more than you may be willing to accept, forgive her, for both your sakes._

_You are a remarkable woman Lily Johnson, you are an amazing thief, an intelligent mind, and a loving person, despite your attempts to keep your concern for others pushed back._

_And you are, above everything else, loved by many, much like your mother. There are few out there who dislike you because your personality draws people too you, and despite your misfortunes I know that you truly are blessed to have those people who love you and who you love back. And I know that **you** know how blessed you are too._

_For the pain you have suffered through, for the hatred you feel for yourself for surviving that accident, I will tell you something that you should know, that I believe will help you to forgive yourself. If you had died in that accident, you would have died minutes after your parents, and your brother would have died alone, because you survived, you were able to hold him and love him and take care of him in his final minutes, you were able to make sure he wasn't alone as he died._

_I wish you luck Lily, I hope you get the happy ending you have earned._

_The two other tablets are for Niccolò Machiavelli, and Billy the Kid, please deliver them for me._

Tears were running freely from Lily's cheeks and she clutched the tablet to her chest, she had just read a message from a man she didn't know, and she felt as though she had just had the wind knocked out of her, the message had been so personal, so meaningful, she didn't know if there was a hidden meaning in the message, some great task she had to perform, but maybe it wasn't a great task, maybe it was something small. But either way she felt… she didn't know what she felt. She felt a million different things all at once and she felt like her head was going to explode. She broke down and for the first time in five years she went to pieces, allowing all her grief, anguish, and pain from that time to flow freely, she had cried several times, but she had never let herself break down and really morn her family, now she did, she covered her mouth in the hopes that her crying would be silenced that way, and when her breakdown was over she felt so much better.

She took a deep breath and used her aura to make sure her eyes and face weren't red and puffy, she didn't want them to know she had been crying. She picked up the other two tablets and walked back to Billy and Niccolò, who were now standing in the center of the yard.

"You really like telling me all this stuff, don't you?" she heard Billy say to Niccolò.

"It's educational."

"Okay then, mister educator, master strategist. Tell me how we're going to get off this island."

Machiavelli started to shake his head, when abruptly the fog shifted and swirled between the two men as if blown by a strong wind. But there was no breeze in the prison yard. Water droplets hung suspended in the air. They coalesced, running together to form larger beads of moisture.

And suddenly the outline of a head formed in midair.

A face appeared: it was long and narrow and had once been handsome. There were two holes where the eyes should have been, another in place of the mouth. Then the fog thickened and the water droplets turned white and became hair, and the face took on form and substance. The hint of clothing appeared: a loose white linen shirt tucked into knee-length trousers.

"Ghost…" Billy squeaked.

Lily's jaw dropped and she gulped.

The ghost's mouth moved, opening and closing, and then the voice became audible. It was a thread, a series of bursting bubbles of water splashes. _"I am Juan Manuel de Ayala. I discovered Alcatraz."_

"An honor to meet you." Machiavelli bowed and tapped Billy with his foot.

Billy nodded quickly. "An honor. Sure."

Lilly gave a small curtsy feeling ridicules and said "pleased to meet you."

"_You fight with the sorceress, Perenelle Flamel?"_ the ghost asked.

"We fight the same enemy," Machiavelli said carefully.

"_Then we have a common cause,"_ the ghost said. _"Follow me."_

Lily handed Niccolò and Billy their tablets to read when they found the chance, before all three of them followed the ghost.


	40. Red Shirts

Disclaimer: I only own Lily

A.N. before you read this chapter i recommend you read Billy the Kid and the Vampires of Vegas by Michael Scott other wise you might not get a reference in here.

* * *

Chapter 40: Red Shirts

Lily went ahead of Niccolò and Billy in the tunnels not paying much attention to the conversation Billy and Niccolò had about the tunnel being a trap and being the only humans on an island of monsters and Elders and redshirts and cannon fodder.

She only turned around when she heard a voice that was not Billy's or Niccolò's say "Boo."

A wicked curve of metal snaked around Billy's throat and the copper-skinned, sharp-nosed face of Black Hawk loomed out of the darkness.

"William Bonney, do you know how many times I could have killed you? You're getting sloppy."

"Black Hawk," Billy breathed. "you scared the life out of me!"

"A herd of stampeding buffalo makes less noise than you. And more sense."

Billy spun around and pushed Black Hawk's tomahawk to one side. "Oh, it sure is good to see you, old friend."

"And you." Black Hawk nodded at Machiavelli. "You too, Italian." He smiled at Lily and nodded to her. She smiled and nodded back, a silent exchange of 'good to see you'.

"We are relieved to find you alive," Machiavelli said. "We feared the worst."

"It was a close-run thing. The mermaids-"

"Nereids," Billy interrupted.

Black Hawk glared. "Excuse me, the _Nereids_ swamped my boat and I barely scrambled ashore and into a cave before this huge thing with a man's body and octopus legs attacked me."

"Nereus," Machiavelli said. "The Old Man of the Sea. I am surprised you got away."

Black Hawk looked at him blankly, light glinting copper off his skin.

"Alive, I mean," Machiavelli clarified. "Nereus is on of the deadliest of the Elders."

"Well, now he's just plain dead." The immortal warrior tapped his tomahawk against the palm of his hand and winked at Billy. "Sometimes the red shirts survive to fight another day."

Lily grinned.

Billy took out his tablet to read it as they continued onward.

_I am Abraham of Danu Talis, sometimes called the Mage, and I send greetings to you William Bonney, also known as Billy the Kid._

_You are a kind man, a man who truly believes in his people, by now you will have abandoned your Elder master and joined in the fight for the humans. You have lived a wonderful life, and if you survive this day there will be many more happy moments to come._

_I feel I should warn you to be careful Billy, there are people who do not want to lose you and the world would be a poorer place without you._

_I also feel I should tell you that you will meet the warrior maid again, and she will be very happy to see you indeed._

Then Billy saw an image in the tablet, it was him and Scathach dancing at what appeared to be a wedding, nearby Lily in a beautiful white gown was dancing with Machiavelli, Lily and Machiavelli's wedding then, he might have to have a talk with Niccolò then. But he saw Scatty and him having a very good time.

He put the tablet away and pondered for a little bit, but then decided to focus on what was going on around them. He would think about the message later.

* * *

Juno glared at her husband who was taking her away from Pier 39, Prometheus had called Aten and asked him to pick her up. She felt angry at being coddled and treated like a child, but knew there was no point in arguing so she sat back and just glared at him.

* * *

Lily followed the men down the narrow tunnel, wincing as she stepped into something slippery wet and disgusting with only her sandals on. Billy was talking about burning his boots and how he wasn't planning on dying, he then turned to tell Black Hawk and her what he had said.

"I heard you, Billy," Black Hawk said quietly. "In fact, I'm sure that everything on the island just heard you."

"Over that noise? I doubt it." Billy said jerking a thumb towards the ceiling where loud roars and screams from the assembled monsters overhead were heard. "But we should look at the bright side. At least they're still on the island."

"We should only begin to worry when it gets quiet. Real quiet," Black Hawk said. "That either means they're creeping up on us or they've left the island."

"Impressive logic. Is that some Native American tracking lore?" Machiavelli asked.

Black Hawk shook his head, and both he and Lily said in unison, "Common sense."

They then reached the cave where Black Hawk had taken refuge from the Nereids. Lily didn't pay much attention to the mens' conversation but examined the spears that Black Hawk showed them, she felt strange around them like her mind couldn't decide if they were dangerous to her or if they were just fine. When Machiavelli told them to gather as many of the spears as they could she finally reached out and touched one, it felt weird for a moment before the feeling of weirdness went away.

"Hey, when did we become your porters?" Billy called after Machiavelli before turning to Black Hawk "Can you believe these European Immortals?"

"I would be quite happy to carry the spears, Billy. But then _you'd_ have to investigate this interesting-looking cave."

"I was going to mention the cave," Black Hawk said before Billy could answer. "I saw it as I passed."

"But you didn't go in?" Machiavelli asked.

"Do I look stupid?"

Lily smirked and said to Black Hawk "he really needs to work on his common sense."

Black Hawk nodded "So I've noticed" he grinned at her.

Lily grabbed some more spears ignoring the men, and then the earthquake hit.

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i want to thank all my readers for sticking with me this far, and thanks to all my reviewers.

i hope you liked this chapter.


	41. Appetizers and Miracles

Disclaimer:I only own Lily everything else belongs to Michael Scott

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Chapter 41: Appetizers and Miracles

Lily smirked as she heard the sphinx and Hel argue about who was uglier Hel or the sphinxs' mother. And Lily grinned when she heard the sphinx say that Hel was being foolish and only a miracle would save Hel, Mars and Odin now.

"I've been called many things, but I don't think I've ever been called a miracle before." Lily said, amusement in her voice.

The sphinx turned and looked at Lily, Lily smirked and held up a finger dramatically "I know what you're thinking, you are thinking that I will be a great appetizer, but I also know what I'm thinking, which is: you're not going to even get a taste."

The sphinxs' smile was terrible "arrogance tastes delicious." And without warning she leapt at Lily claws extended and mouth gapping.

Lily rolled forward and when she stood up again the sphinx had jumped over her head and was now turning around to face her, Lily smirked and threw the spear head that she had in her hand at the sphinx, and when the spear head struck the sphinx, the monster turned into crystal. Lily smiled and walked up to the crystal figure of the sphinx and pushed it over shattering it into a million pieces, before turning to Mars, Odin and Hel.

All three Elders looked at Lily in amazement, finally Hel said "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

Lily smirked and said "Remember not to get on my bad side."

She took the spear head she had thrown at the sphinx and put it into a pouch she had on her belt. Then she looked at the Elders again "We should probably move fast and get out of here," Billy Machiavelli and Black Hawk came around the corner and looked at the shattered remains of the sphinx, Lily said "hey! Old geezers! Move it will you? Come on and let's go!"

"Who are you calling old?" Black Hawk, Billy and Machiavelli all said at the same time, as they followed Lily and the Elders down the hall.

Lily and Black Hawk lead the others down a corridor called Michigan Avenue. Billy was laughing about the fact that the monsters were busy fighting with each other and Black Hawk was talking to Hel when a undersized Minotaur appeared out of a cell dropped heavy cloven hooves onto Billy's shoulders, driving him to his knees.

Machiavelli's hand move and the rancid odor of snake filled the hall, the Minotaur howled and tossed its head from side to side scratching furiously, tearing grooves in its own flesh.

"Earwigs and Fleas," Niccolò said with a smile "I have always found them to be hugely underrated insects, especially when inserted into the ears."

Lily shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself after they left the Administration Building, she shivered in cold and listened to the men try to work out a plan and she jumped like everyone else when Juan Manuel De Ayala appeared and told them where to go, she called out to Billy trying to call him back when he ran off, saw him throw his two spear heads and gasped as she saw Perenelle Flamel step out of the fog with two spear heads flying towards her.

* * *

Juno smiled as she saw the pale young woman with bright red hair interact with the two young children, she then walked towards the young woman and said "if you are heading to the prison, perhaps you would like some company?"

Scathach looked up at Juno and said slowly "I would indeed like some company,"

Juno walked alongside Scathach and said "you must be one of the warriors foretold by Abraham?"

Scathach nodded slowly "I am indeed your majesty,"

Juno smiled "as I am sure you are well aware, I am no longer queen."

Scathach nodded slowly again "I am aware,"

Juno said with a smile "have you really nothing to say to your own aunt?"

Scathach froze and looked at Juno, startled; Juno beamed at her "a woman always has her ways of finding out information,"

Scathach nodded "I suppose so,"

Juno looked into Scathachs' eyes and asked "are you and I close at all?"

Scathach shook her head "not really Juno, I barely got to know you growing up."

Juno smiled sadly "somehow, I am not surprised," she touched Scathachs' cheek and said "you seem like an extraordinary young woman, I wish I could get to know you better."

Scathach smiled a little "maybe you'll get the chance to someday."

Juno smiled "I hope so, I truly hope so." She removed her hand from Scathachs' cheek and began walking again "I hope you know at least that, even if I didn't see you much, or get to know you well, that I do love you?"

Scathach smiled a little "I do know that."

Juno smiled and then sighed as they came upon the crowd "unfortunately I don't think it's a good idea for you too be seen with me, Ard-Greimne might recognize you on some level."

Scathach nodded "Thank you." and she walked into the crowd and disappeared.

Juno smiled a little and then took a deep breath and walked into a different part of the crowd which separated before her.

* * *

Alright, i'm hoping to get another chapter up in about a half hour to an hour, might be an hour and a half, please tell me what you thought of this chapter :D


	42. Deaths of the Elders

Disclaimer: I own Nothing!

A.N. this is not the last chapter, but after this chapter i am going beyond the books.

* * *

Chapter 42: Deaths of the Elders

Lily watched in horror as the spear heads flew at the Sorceress and knew that Perenelle would not be able to escape them. Lily saw others try to stop the spears but she couldn't move her hands to try to save the sorceress.

Billy fell into Black Hawks arms and gasped, whispering "what have I done?"

And then the Crow Goddess was in front of the sorceress and the spear heads buried themselves into the Crow Goddess, and Lily watched as the Crow Goddess fell into Perenelle's arms and spoke to the sorceress before crumbling into black dust.

Lily watched Perenelle approach Billy and moved forward, worried the sorceress was going to yell at Billy for his attack, but Lily stopped when she saw the sorceress wipe Billy's tears away leaving some of the black dust on her hands on his cheeks, she then lifted his chin and wiped his cheeks again with the edge of her shirt.

"Billy, do not reproach yourself. You did nothing wrong."

"I could have killed you." Billy replied his voice breaking

"But you did not."

"But I killed the Morrigan…"

"that was not just the Morrigan. That was Macha and the Badb, her sisters. They sacrificed themselves willingly. And at the end, the Morrigan awoke: I do not think she was unhappy. They died together, as one."

"I reacted," he whispered

Perenelle made Billy look into her eyes and said "we will grieve for the Crow Goddess later. Now we should honor her memory and destroy the monsters on the island."

Billy's hand shot out and he grabbed the Sorceress's arm. "I swear I will protect you for all the days of your life," he said sincerely.

"Thank you Billy," she said "But my life is now measured in hours, not days."

"I'll still look after you," he said quickly

Perenelle smiled. "I know you will."

On the way to the Warden's house Niccolò looked at his emerald tablet and was surprised by what he saw, it was him and Lily dancing, she was in a white dress and he in a black Tux, and then came words on the tablet

_I am Abraham of Danu Talis and I send greetings to you, Niccolò Machiavelli,_

_By now you have realized that this wasn't what you signed up for all those hundreds of years ago, if you are reading this than this is the future in which Lily is alive, she is an amazing woman, and you know that, but you also need to know that hard times will come for the two of you, she has to make peace with her past as you need to make peace with yours, there are more suprises for you both within the next week, but your love is strong, and your relationship will survive._

_You have in many ways held onto your wife Marietta, but she would not want you to be alone for the rest of your long life, you need to start letting her go._

_Your Lily has the chance to save a life there on Alcatraz but it will not be the life of Billy the Kid, he will survive, but you will need to be the one to help him, I can not give you more information than that._

_Good luck to you Niccolò Machiavelli._

* * *

In the corner of the ruined Warden's House was an enormous mud like shell Lily stood next to Niccolò as Nicholas Flamel tapped the shell she watched as the sorceress and Niccolò talked and made peace with each other.

Nicholas then looked up at her and said "I'm glad to see you found the good inside you Miss Johnson."

Lily smiled back at him "I had a little help finding it."

They all laid their hands on the shell and their auras flowed over it, eventually though Nicholas broke away "A moment, if you will. Let me recharge a little. What made you change your minds?" he asked Niccolò and Lily.

Machiavelli shrugged "I have been troubled by my association with the Dark Elders for a long time… But coming here and working with Billy, Black Hawk and Lily brought up a lot of old memories. I was reminded of something my wife Marietta, once said. She accused me of being an uncaring monster. She told my that I would die lonely and alone because I did not care for anyone." He smiled sadly. "I realized that she was probably right on both accounts. And then Black Hawk asked me a question he wanted to know if I had ever done something purely for the thrill of it, I told him I had not, not for a very long time anyway, he told me that he pitied me, and that I was wasting my immortality. That I wasn't living I was just surviving, and he was right."

Lily snickered "I don't know Niccolò I think that sex counts as doing something for the thrill of it."

Niccolò looked at Lily with raised eyebrows and saw her wink suductivly at him "Really? Now of all times?"

She grinned "what can I say? Saving the world is a turn on."

Niccolò rolled his eyes while Perenelle and Nicholas laughed.

"I sometimes think the immortals of the world do not truly appreciate the wonderful gift of immortality." Nicholas said

"and then I fell in with Billy," Niccolò continued. "he is young, exuberant- Irritating yes, but he has a big heart, he reminded me what it is to be human, to enjoy life and living."

He looked at Lily than and Lily looked back at him startled by the look he had in his eyes, a look that was all for her. "and then of course there was you Lily, you reminded me of love, how to love and what it felt like to be loved in return." Lily blushed and looked down only to have Niccolò lift her chin up to look into her eyes "you reminded me of what it was like to be a part of a relationship, a real honest functioning relationship."

Lily smiled a little and kissed Niccolò when he kissed her, before he continued "Do you know: I believe that is the longest speech I've given in a century. Maybe two."

Lily giggled and then looked at Perenelle when she asked "what about you Lily? What changed your mind, was it your being here with Billy and Machiavelli or-"

Lily shook her head "have you ever had a moment where something so horrible happened that you hated the world for just a small second?"

Perenelle nodded. "five years ago, I was in an accident with my family, my parents died instantly but my little brother..; he died in my arms… and it… destroyed me, because all my life I knew I wasn't like everyone else, I wasn't like teenagers my age, hell I wasn't even like my parents, and the only person who I could connect to was my brother, so when he died in my arms… that little dark seed of hatred for the world got planted in my soul and it grew inside me like a cancer, then yesterday, I found out who my mother really was, why I was so different form everyone growing up, and it was like my mother came back from the dead and slapped me, she didn't raise me to make decisions that would affect millions, she didn't raise me to be the evil selfish person I had slowly become, so intent on getting my own revenge that I stopped thinking about how it would affect others… so I chose to stop the monsters."

She looked at Perenelle and saw sorrow in her eyes "I myself know how hard it is to be different from everyone else; it can't have been easy to lose the only person in the world who you thought understood you." Perenelle took one of Lily's hands in her own.

Lily smiled and whispered "thank you."

There was a whistle followed by the scrape and clatter of approaching hooves on the stone before all four immortals decided it was time to try again. Nicholas and Machavelli both slumped and Perenelle and Lily went to their men to help them out a little, Perenelle said "we'll try one more time before we leave it we can't afford to expend more energy."

Lily nodded and stroked Niccolò's cheek.

Lily didn't really pay any attention to what Billy and Black Hawk said about the crab and Unicorns or Xolotl but she listened to Mars when he said "Decision time. "We can either make our last stand here," he said, looking around at the space, "or we can run, maybe try to find another place to hole up in."

"We stay here," Flamel said firmly. He tapped the mud ball. "You must keep them at bay while we try to awaken Areop-Enap. She is our only chance now."

"Maybe we can hold the windows and doors," Mars said doubtfully. "but if they charge us…"

"They're charging!" Hel shouted.

Billy and Lily looked at each other and grinned, Billy said "This is gonna get pretty interesting"

Lily smirked "Define 'Interesting.' "

Billy winked "Oh God oh God we're all gonna die."

They both burst out laughing as everyone else looked at them in horror.

* * *

Juno watched from among the crowd as her husband made his speech about humans and Elders being equal, she made her way over to Virginia Dare and John Dee and watched as her sisters son ordered the archers to shoot at the crowd and she smiled as the arrows got sent back to the people who had shot them, and she saw her husband fall, and saw Scathach catch him.

* * *

When Lily heard of Odin and Hel's deaths she blinked back tears and whispered under her breath "may they rest in peace."

* * *

Juno knelt next to Aten at John Dee's feet she nodded when Aten offered to heal Dee, but the man shook his head "thank you but no, my hour is almost come, let me die in peace."

Juno leaned against her husband and silently cried as Dee disintegrated into dust.

* * *

Lily looked up when Billy approached her, Niccolò and the Flamels, he put his two spear heads on the mud ball and said "I thought you might hold onto these for me just in case… well, just in case." He finished.

Lily felt tears in her eyes as Machavelli and Perenelle tried to warn him and he just disregarded it, until finally they told him to be safe, then he turned to her, and hugged her tightly "love you Lils"

Lily choked back a sob "love you too Billy." She then made him look at her and said fearcly "you are going to come back do you understand me? Because if you- EITHER OF YOU!" she said a little louder so Black Hawk could hear that she was talking to him too. "Don't come back I will bring you back from the dead and kill you my self, and I will make THAT death a thousand times worse, got it?"

Billy grinned "Crystal clear mam."

Lily felt like she was losing a brother again as she saw Billy and Black Hawk walk away.

She saw that the spear heads had sunk in and after that she pulled out her own spear heads and helped the older immortals open the mud ball. She felt hope stir in her when the Sorceress said she had seen the old spider and that she looked healthier but felt a sense of dread when Mars said it wasn't a good idea to wake a hibernating Elder.

Then Lily heard Black Hawk yell that they were back, she turned to the Door in hope and then gasped in horror at the wound on Billy's chest she went to go help Billy but Machiavelli stopped her and helped Billy instead, giving Billy some of his Aura before Black Hawk said "enough or you will burn yourself out."

What happened next happened too fast for Lily to catch all of it, that is until she saw Black Hawk go Flying over the wall, she created a net that caught Black Hawk and dropped him rather un-gently onto the floor she ran over too him to give him a little of her aura before she smelled the scent of burnt meat that became a very bitter sent and then she turned to see, as Mars exploded into flames she then stood up and walked in front of the Karkinos and everyone saw as her eyes flashed a bright Amethyst purple.

She threw a ball of pure energy at the crab and watched the crab get pushed back a foot or two but it just seemed to get more angry she threw another ball of energy at it, she heard crunching behind her and Nicholas, Perenelle and a third voice talking but she didn't turn her attention away from the crab, she didn't even need to throw a third energy ball before Areop-Enap jumped onto the crab plunged a stinger into the back of the crab and then wrapped it in spider web.

"I'm going to save that for later" the old spider said, Lily blinked and swallowed a little feeling a little bit dizzy.

The old spider asked Perenelle "how long have I slept?"

"A few days." The sorceress answered.

Lily tuned out the conversation as she brought Black Hawk over to Billy and Niccolò, but she did hear something about being sacrificed to a volcano and the words "it was only a small mountain."

She saw the old spider come over to them and saw Niccolò glare defiantly at the old spider with Billy's head in his lap, the old spider said nothing until she looked at Lily "I would recognize any descendant of Juno's a brave woman she was, are you a great-granddaughter or-"

Lily shook her head "Granddaughter"

Areop-Enap nodded and went back to Nicholas and Perenelle and talked with them a little bit while Billy asked "does this mean we've won?"

Lily nodded "yes, we have, the cost has been heavy but we won." She had tears in her eyes and she smiled at Black Hawk "you gave me a hell of a scare young man are you **trying **to give me a heart attack?"

Black Hawk grinned apologetically "Sorry Lils"

Areop-Enap turned to scuttle out the building when Billy mumbled "tell her about the unicorns,"

The old spider froze

"There may be a few monokerata unicorns running free." Niccolò said.

"With or without horns?" the spider asked.

"With" Lily answered.

"Extra crunchy. My favorite.

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alright, sorry about the wait for this chapter, it took me longer than i originally thought but i hope you all thought it was worth it. and this is not the end, there is more too come!


	43. Heros One and All

Alright! and we continue on with the story, sorry about this chapter i think it could be loads better but i can't seem to make it better no matter how hard i try.

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Chapter 43: Heroes One and All

Lily hugged Nicholas and Perenelle when they said they were going to stay on the island, hours had passed and it was time for them to head back to the city, they searched around the island for a boat and then they found one and all four immortals climbed in, the old spider had said that she would get off the island on her own.

Lily leaned against Niccolò while Black Hawk drove them all too land. She was so tired she didn't even notice the passing of time, when they reached the pier, and tied up the boat Lily helped Billy and Niccolò out with Black Hawk's help. But she didn't notice that there were people there waiting for them, Scathach, Saint-Germaine, Joan of Arch, Shakespeare, Palamedes, Sophie, Virginia, Niten and Tsagaglalal.

Lily felt a hand on her shoulder as she rubbed her eyes, and looked right into Virginia's eyes. Virginia Dare smiled "you look dead on your feet Johnson." She said as she helped Lily to a large car that was near by that they would all be taking back to Tsagaglalal's house.

Lily grinned "we just fought off a lot of the monsters on Alcatraz you would look this bad too Ginia."

Joan helped Machiavelli; Scathach helped Billy, while Palamedes helped Black Hawk. Once they got to the home of She Who Watches, the lady of the house told the ones who had been up all night where they could get sleep, Billy and Black Hawk were crashing in the room that had been Josh and Sophie's parents, Niten was going to be in Josh's room, and Lily and Niccolò were gonna be in a guest room.

Tsagaglalal also offered Lily, Billy, Niccolò, Black Hawk, and Niten showers. Lily took hers first and after words felt amazing having a few days worth of grime and dirt washed off.

Lily was so tired that as soon as she hit the bed she was passed out, she woke up in the middle of the night though and smiled at the feeling of Niccolò's arms wrapped tightly around her.

The next morning Lily's day dress and Niccolòs suit were set out for them, mostly clean, there were some dark spots but as Lily and Niccolò had no other clothing it would have too do.

A large breakfast was set up, Lily had to admit the sight of all that food was delicious, her need for eating may have gone away a little, but after using up a bunch of her aura she was ravenous. Virginia grinned at her "hungry?"

Lily smiled "only enough to eat a whole lion"

She sat down between Black Hawk and Niccolò and across from Virginia, Billy was on Niccolò's other side.

"Nice dress" Virginia commented.

Lily stuck her tongue out at her "yeah yeah!"

Billy grinned at Niccolò and said "I'd be careful Mac, I think your girl is in a bit of a mood today"

Niccolò looked at Billy with a look that said _shut up now_

Lily snickered as they ate through their meal, though of course she cried out in outrage when she found out that the ones who had gone to Danu Talis had been gone for seven hundred years, including Sophie.

"You got to be kidding me! I'm the youngest again!" she whined childishly, everybody at the table chuckled at her outrage.

The days passed by Lily went with Virginia to get Billy's Thunderbird back Lily told Billy that he couldn't go because he had gotten stepped on by a crab, Niccolò couldn't go because he had nearly killed himself saving Billy and Blackhawk couldn't go because she didn't trust his driving. Lily pulled out her suitcase from the back of the car when they got back and pulled out the package she had put in it, she handed it to Billy.

He eyed it warily before opening it and laughing "an Anasazi pottery bowl? Where the hell did you get this?" Lily smirked "I've gone to a few auctions with Niccolò, one time I saw this and I had the feeling I should get it, I knew you already had one but incase anything ever happened to it…" she shrugged and he hugged her laughing.

Another few days passed and Scatty and Niten disappeared one day, they returned a few days later with a girl who looked exactly like Scatty, Lily helped tend to the woman whose name she learned was Aoife.

And then one day the calm that had been settling over the group vanished, because the Witch of Endor, Aten and Juno showed up.


	44. Facing the Truth

Alright i think there will only be a few more chapter's left but i'm still gonna continue for a little bit yet

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Chapter 44: Facing the Truth

Lily had been out back with Billy, Niccolò, Blackhawk and Virginia when the three Elders showed up.

They had been helping setting up for dinner, they were all beginning to feel better and rested and would soon be on their way back home as would all the others.

Scatty had hugged her grandmother and aunt upon seeing them and the others in the room greeted them. Virginia was the first to walk into the room and she said "OH!"

Niccolò and Blackhawk were the next one's in, Niccolò looked at Aten and gulped a little, he wasn't quite ready to face his elder master but it didn't look like he was going to be given much of a choice.

Aten smiled at Niccolò and nodded then he turned to look as Billy and Lily entered the room. Juno and even the Witch also seemed to be looking at Billy and Lily.

Lily felt the emotion in the room and then stiffened when she saw Juno. She swallowed, she wasn't sure she was ready to face this. Billy put his hand on her shoulder and whispered in her ear "give her a chance to explain, I know your upset Lils but, she's here she clearly cares about you, don't you owe it to yourself and to her to give her a chance to explain herself?"

Lily looked at Billy and whispered "I know but… I don't know if I'm ready for this."

Billy smiled sadly "you'll probably never be ready for it, Lils so just get it out of the way, so you can decide what you want to do, so you can move on from this point."

Lily gulped and nodded running a hand through her hair, and turning to look at Juno again. Then she sat down on the unoccupied couch, Billy sat next to her on her left while Niccolò sat on her right, Juno and Aten sat down on the Love seat while the Witch sat down in a single chair, Blackhawk and Virginia hovered nearby while everyone else stood away from the group.

Lily fidgeted anxiously not knowing what to say, so it was Juno who broke the silence.

"I know your upset sweetheart… and you have every right to be… I shouldn't have kept this from you, I should never have even dragged you into this… your mother… she never would have wanted this life for you… but… I want to explain… why I did this…" Juno was looking at Lily silently, waiting to be told either to shut up or to continue on.

Lily nodded for Juno to continue.

Juno whispered. "I… I knew that your mother never wanted this for you but I didn't care I just… I wanted to keep you hidden away all to myself where no one could ever find you again, when our first encounter took place, you were right, I was being selfish trying to protect the only piece of my daughter I had left… but you need to know that as time went on… as I got to know you, you became more to me than a piece of my daughter… you became my granddaughter, you became someone I loved and cherished so very _very_ much but that doesn't excuse what I did, I should have told you I never should have kept it secret from you but-"

Lily cut her off "Don't… I… I'm not mad at you for keeping it a secret I was at first but then, I realized if I had been in your position I would have kept it secret too."

Juno sat up a little straighter, startled and then she looked at Lily and said "But there is still something your mad about."

Lily looked into Juno's eyes and whispered "I've tried to be mad at Mom, for not telling me and James the truth, but then I remember she was going too, she just never got the chance… and then I tried to be mad at her for the fact that me and James were different… but I couldn't blame her for that either, it's not her fault she fell in love… and I wanted, oh I so dearly wanted to be mad at her for anything… but I can't… I can't be mad at her, she gave up so much, for my father, for my brother, for me, she gave up her entire life for us to be normal… I understand that you wanted to preserve a part of your daughter but… but you undid everything mom had sacrificed for her family, I don't know how long I'll be upset about that… I don't even know if I'll ever get over it…"

Juno smiled sadly and nodded "I can respect and understand that." She paused and then said "I hope you do know Lily, that I love you very dearly"

Lily smiled and nodded "I do know that."

Juno smiled and then said "now… there are some other things you should be aware of…"

Lily's eyes widened "Oh this doesn't sound good."

Juno smiled a little "the Witch of Endor is my elder sister, she's also Scathachs' Grandmother."

Lily's eyes widened "wait that means…"

Juno nodded "you and Scatty are second cousins."

Lily slumped against the couch "oh wow…"

Juno nodded and then she said "the next news I have to tell you… might be a little bit less… well I don't know… Aten" she motioned to the man sitting next to her on the Loveseat "as you know is Mr. Machiavelli's Elder master."

Lily nodded slowly.

Juno went on "he is also my husband… and your mother's father"


	45. The Reactions

okay i took way too long with this chapter, my appologies to all of you. i think i'll only do one more chapter maybe two, but i'll also be doing some side stories for Billy Niccolo and Lily.

Disclaimer" I only own Lily.

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Chapter 45: The Reactions

Only Billy, Blackhawk, Niccolò and Lily had a reaction to the news everybody else already knew or had guessed.

Billy had a look on his face that was a cross between horror and amusement.

Blackhawk looked at Niccolò clearly amused at the fact that Niccolò just found out he was dating his boss's granddaughter.

Niccolò's face had paled visibly he looked completely horrified at the revelation he had known that there was a connection between Juno and Aten but he had NEVER thought that the relationship was that of husband and wife.

But Lily's reaction surprised everybody except the Witch of Endor. She stood up and silently walked out the door to the back. After a moment of silence Niccolò and Billy stood to follow but Virginia stopped them both "I should talk to her not you two, you both are idiots when it comes to women."

Virginia then followed after Lily and neither Niccolò nor Billy protested.

Lily was sitting down with her back resting against the house, staring up at the sky. Virginia sat down next to her. "You already knew didn't you?" Lily asked softly.

Virginia nodded "are you-"

Lily cut her off "No. No I'm not okay, I spent 4 years looking into my mother's past, when I found out about immortals and elders I thought that maybe she was part of this world, and that's why I was having so much trouble finding information on her, but in all the thoughts and all the theories I had about who she might have been before she met my dad, her being a goddess was NOT one of them, I never thought that my elder master even KNEW my mother never mind was related to her. And I never NEVER thought that my boyfriends elder master was Juno's husband let alone my GRANDFATHER. So no Ginia I'm not okay. I'm not alright. I…"

Lily looked at Virginia with tears trailing from her eyes "my father used to tell me that life doesn't give you anything you can't handle. But I can't handle this, I didn't want to know! I still don't want to know! I spent Five years thinking that I would never find any one else who was blood related to me. Now I suddenly have a whole family tree of relatives that just showed up out of fucking no where!"

Virginia wrapped her arms around Lily and hugged her "it's okay, you still have us; me Billy, Blackhawk, Machiavelli and all the others. And we are a family now, all of us so we are going to take care of each other."

Lily laughed and sobbed at the same time "Ginia that sounded way to sappy."

Virginia smiled "I know."

Lily took a deep breath "its strange, feeling that I can trust people again, not being worried that your going to stab me in the back or that Billy might slit my throat when I'm not looking."

Virginia smiled "how does it feel?"

Lily smiled up at her "it feels good, better than good, it feels great."

Virginia smiled and let go of Lily "do you want me to go in there and shoo Aten and Juno off?"

Lily thought about it for a second and then nodded "they and I will talk later but not now, for now I need time to process everything, and I need to talk to Niccolò."

Virginia nodded, stood up and walked back into the house. A second later she came back out "they already left."

Lily stood up and walked into the house. She looked at Niccolò and said "we need to talk. Alone. Now."

Machiavelli nodded and stood following her to another room frowning slightly at the look on her face.

Lily looked at Machiavelli and said "I need to know where we stand."

Niccolò's frown deepened and then softened "you think that this revelation will drive me away?" he asked softly.

Lily shrugged "I don't know, all I know is that we just found out that your boss is my grandfather and-"

She didn't get a chance to finish because suddenly she was being kissed. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around Niccolò's neck as tears fell from her eyes.

Machiavelli pulled back and whispered "a few days ago you told me you loved me, do you still love me?"

Lily blinked in surprise "of course!"

Niccolò smiled "and I love you, and I'll be right by your side as long as you want me."

Lily smiled and kissed Niccolò again feeling very happy, and safe.


	46. Epilogue: 20 Years Later

Disclaimer: I own Nothing!

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Epilogue: 20 Years Later

_Paris, France_

Lily smiled as she, Scatty and Joan talked about life and how things were going. Scatty and Lily weren't close, they probably never would be. They worked to be friendly to each other however, since Joan and Lily had become close friends.

It was a surprising friendship but perhaps not quite so unexpected they lived the closest together out of all the survivors of the events twenty years ago. And while the two women loved their respective lovers, they needed someone to simply gossip and catch up with, more often than every few years anyway.

And so it had become a routine that Niccoló and Saint-Germaine had come to expect, once every week Joan and Lily got together for a girls night. Lily knew that while Germaine was amused by the situation Niccoló was slightly exasperated by it. But then, he knew what the women were talking about to each other.

Lily often saw Billy, he often came to visit her now a days. He was another reason she and Scatty were friendlier to each other, since Billy and Scatty were getting so close.

Lily felt that after what happened, the survivors were finding ways to be close. Niten and Aoife had long since married but Niten made an effort to check up with everyone else, if only through letters. Black Hawk also made sure to check in with various people of the group from time to time.

Shakespeare and Palamedes had returned to London and resumed their lives; Lily would travel to London to check up on them from time to time when her job allowed her.

Lily saw Sophie whenever the girl wandered to Paris, it was what the girl seemed like she would do for the rest of her days. Lily had told Sophie that she was welcome to stay with her and Niccoló whenever she wanted, Joan had made the same offer but Sophie refused each time, she would visit both women but chose to stay in a hotel of some sort.

Lily wondered if the betrayal of their so called parents had damaged Josh and Sophie beyond any hope of ever finding closer, of ever again being at peace.

Lily didn't know how to help Sophie and quite honestly didn't think she could, Sophie and Josh had their entire worlds turned upside down and in the course of a week had come to realize that **everything** they had ever known was a lie.

Josh and Sophie had been used by the people who had raised them who had fed and clothed them, by the people who were supposed to love them unconditionally, they had been used, and had almost been killed by the people they had thought to be their parents. How could either of them ever overcome such a betrayal?

The person Lily hadn't seen in a while was Virginia, Lily wasn't worried about her, not really she knew Virginia would probably pop into town soon and drag Lily off somewhere. That was how Gina was: pop in, pop out, see you in another five years, and don't expect a letter in the meantime.

Lily waved to Scatty and Joan as they headed back to Joan's place. She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a drink she paused for a second then smirked "would you like something to drink Josh?"

She turned and saw the young blond man standing in the middle of her kitchen "No thank you." Josh said politely.

Lily smiled, Josh was like Gina, he popped in whenever he wanted, but he did it more frequently. And he never even bothered to knock; he would just show up in the kitchen or living room.

Josh looked at her with a slight smile "Does Machiavelli know that you get together with Joan to talk about your respective men?"

Lily smirked "Why do you think he's exasperated by it?"

Josh rolled his eyes. "Girls getting together to talk about their men, it sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. Does the Count know?"

Lily shrugged "If he knows he hasn't said anything, but then again he simply may not care."

Josh smiled "Knowing him, he probably doesn't."

Lily smiled and rolled her eyes and then asked "How's Sophie? I haven't seen her in a few months."

Josh said "She's okay, she's in China at the moment."

Lily nodded "And Gina?"

Josh groaned "In Canada for some unknown reason, I don't know if she did it to be random or if she actually has a real reason to go there."

Lily laughed. Josh looked at her and asked "How are your grandparents?"

Lily bit her lip and sighed "They are doing fine, they seem to be in a relationship again." She paused and looked into Josh's eyes "I don't really know how well they and I are getting along, they feel like strangers to me, still."

Josh sighed "You may feel that way for a while Lil."

Lily nodded "I know… I just… it feels so awkward to be around them."

Josh nodded. They talked for a few hours until Josh had to leave.

Lily sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Niccoló was away on business and wouldn't be back for a few days. Feeling resigned she went to bed and fell asleep.

* * *

In her dream she was standing on a tall building looking out at the landscape of the Island that looked both familiar and foreign. "The Island of Danu Talis." Said a male voice behind her, she turned and was surprised to see John Dee standing there.

"Why am I dreaming of Danu Talis, and, more importantly, why are YOU in my dream?" Lily asked startled.

John smiled "Only you can answer the question of why you brought me into this dream. As to why you are dreaming of this place…" he shrugged "perhaps because it is the home you never knew you had."

Lily looked back at the landscape "Danu Talis… its beautiful." She whispered.

"Indeed it is." John agreed.

Lily swallowed "Are you real or is this just a dream and nothing more?"

John rolled his eyes "Yes, this is just a dream; however, I am not a part of your subconscious. You called me here, not consciously but you did call me here."

Lily swallowed. She could guess why she had subconsciously called John Dee into her dreams.

Dee smiled condescendingly "Something on your mind."

Lily glared at him "It's truly amazing, even in death you never cease to be annoying!"

Dee smirked "Of course not."

Lily turned her back on the landscape and whispered "I don't know what to do anymore."

Dee looked at her, there was no emotion in his eyes.

Lily went on "Niccoló and I are together, the world is safe, I've found my mother's family… and instead of feeling fulfilled and happy that I've come to this point I feel… lost… like… I don't have a purpose anymore… like I'm just going through life with no reason behind it."

Dee smiled a little "So why are you calling for help twenty years after all that has been said and done…"

Lily glared at him "Don't get cute with me Dee." She growled.

John sighed "You find a new goal… something else to aspire to."

Lily sighed "And what new goal would that be? Oh smart one."

Dee shrugged "It's your life. Only you can find it… and if you can't… well you could always take up sewing or some other lady like pass time." He ended with a smirk.

Lily glared at him "Ha ha ha! Very funny."

Dee shrugged "Its been twenty years… why now are you worried about feeling lost?"

Lily swallowed "Niccoló… is going to ask me to marry him… and I don't know what to say…"

Dee rolled his eyes "You called me from the shadow realm of the dead to get advice on how you should answer him?!" he cried in an exasperated voice "Isn't their someone else's time you could waste?! Your parents for example?! Or maybe your grandmother?! Or one of your new found girlfriends?! Why call me here?!"

Lily ground her teeth "As you said, I didn't do it consciously!" she snapped "Why my mind picked you of all people to help me with this I have NO earthly idea!"

Dee sighed "For Gods' sake woman! Marry the man and be done with it will you! Why wouldn't you marry him? You clearly love him, and he loves you. So be a big girl, grow up, and marry the man!"

Lily rolled her eyes and woke herself up to be free of Dee and his annoying personality.

* * *

Lily smirked at the very odd expression on Billy's face as she told him what Niccoló would ask her and her dream of John Dee.

She couldn't tell if he was amused, shocked, outraged, or simply speechless.

Billy finally asked "Are you going to say yes?"

Lily sighed and nodded "Dee is right there is no reason for me not to marry him."

Billy nodded "Okay then."

Lily looked at him "You're not going to strangle him are you?"

Billy smirked "Who? Me? Never!"

* * *

Lily rolled her eyes and smiled as they continued to talk, catching up with each other as if they hadn't seen each other in months rather than last week.

A few days after Niccoló came home, he asked her to marry him, and she only could really give one answer.

"Yes."

* * *

A.N. alright this really could have been a better ending and i am so sorry that its not as good as it could have been but i couldn't find a better way to end it, i also apologize for how long it took me to upload this, my hard drive crashed and i lost everything on my computer. please review and let me know what you think.

i do plan on doing another story for Lily so be on the lookout for that, i'll post an update on here to let you know when its uploaded.


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